In a Castle
by ShinMarsDragon
Summary: Alucard heard the story of Leon Belmont four times, and all of them were true.
1. Julius

A/N: The title is from "In a Grove", the story the movie Rashomon was based on. Which should tell you everything you need to know about this story.

This isn't really a sequel per se, but assume Blood Relations happened. So Soma knows Arikado is a vampire, but thinks he's a full vampire turned by Dracula instead of the truth.

* * *

Soma's 20th birthday party was winding down. The drunk and rowdy college students were slowly winding their way home, helped by sober friends and quiet cab calls. The one passed out on the floor was shaken awake and sent on his way. Julius shut the door behind himself after escorting the last of them out to the curb and gave rather exaggerated sigh.

"Sorry about all that," and Soma sounded honestly apologetic. "I was thinking this would be a quiet thing, just you guys and one or two of my college friends, but then Junko brought like everyone she knew. I didn't mean to make you two be the party dads. I hope it was fun anyway?"

Fun. Arikado took a long, slow look over the backroom of Hammer's store. The loud children had left beer cans piled in the corners and on boxes, even smashing a few boxes in their enthusiasm. He couldn't recall ever having been this ill-mannered. By some miracle no one had vomited and there wasn't any blood. In the end, he supposed, that was the important part. He shook his head and addressed Soma. "You should help clean up."

"Yeah, of course! Least I can do. I would've done it at my place, but you can barely get two people in there and Hammer has this nice big area - plus, he volunteered."

"Mmm." Arikado couldn't imagine volunteering to have multiple loud children run wild in his home, but perhaps it was a human thing. They seemed to enjoy being part of a teeming mass. His human grandfather, the one he had known, had always... He shoved the thought away. Anyway, watching Soma try alcohol for the first time had been entertaining. 20 years was far too late for such things.

Julius sat down beside him and they shared a look of quiet exasperation. "Youth," Julius said, shaking his head. "Wasted on the young."

"Tch, whatever, old man," Soma took another gulp of the water Yoko had been forcing on him for an hour now. "It was fun."

"Still, Soma..." Mina was drinking her own water and obviously trying not to yawn while doing it. "Be more careful in the future, okay? ...though I don't think Hammer minded so much." The man in question snorted in his sleep, but otherwise didn't move from where he was passed out on the floor.

"I told you he wouldn't!"

The thread of conversation broke then. Soma and Mina kept drinking water, Yoko kept forcing water on them, Julius closed his eyes and possibly fell asleep, and Arikado stared out the small, high window. There was a persistent sense of the party being over, but no one quite wanting to leave.

It was Yoko who broke the silence. "So! Soma, Mina, how are your studies going?"

"I'm pretty sure I told you that already," Soma replied, and drained his latest cup.

"You did not. More water." She poured Soma another cup and got a grumble in return. "More. Water."

"They're going great, Yoko!" Mina said brightly. "Before you ask, I'm showing up for all my classes, unlike _some_ people." She gave Soma a none-too subtle dig in the side and started chattering about everything she was learning, with appropriate 'oohs' and 'interesting!'s from Yoko. "I'm glad I went into Biology," she finished up, "I like it enough I'm almost not sure what I want to do afterward, if I can maybe put off taking over the Shrine for a few years or not... I mean, it would be a waste to spend this much time learning and never use it, right?"

"Humph, that's for later," Soma said. "I'm not even sure what I want to do _now_. And yes, I do go to my classes, _Mina_. Most of the time. It's just...it's weird, I like history a lot. The great sweep of events, the little details, how we got here, how it all fits together - I really like it! But I also like chem. So I can't decide which I want to actually settle down and study."

"Mm-mm," Yoko nodded. "Well, I never had that problem so much. I knew I was going to be a witch for the Church ever since I was a little girl, so it never mattered what I studied. I'm a bit like Mina that way. I went into Literature just because it sounded fun and I liked reading." She pulled a face. "I've read maybe two books for pleasure since."

"Rough." Soma took another drink. "Hey, what'd you two do? Arikado, Julius?"

Arikado tried to remember the last degree he had gotten. "Law." He was pretty sure it had been law; the world moved so fast these days it was all he could do to keep up. The ancient knowledge of alchemy, taught to him by Dracula himself...it had held for nearly a thousand years, but was wiped away a few decades into the 19th century! And now, now as soon as he learned anything, it was completely obsolete the next day. He felt always that he was barely treading water in an endless ocean of knowledge and the worst part was that everyone, every single human he met, believed that normal!

"Law?!" Hammer tried to scramble to his feet and nearly upset the coffee table he had been sleeping under, sending Mina sprawling and Soma flinging himself backward to keep control of his drink. "Sorry, sorry! Sorry! Woke up a bit too fast, ya know? Anyway, ya know law? Could ya, as a favour - but I'd pay ya back soon as I can - "

"My speciality was criminal law."

"Aww damn!" Hammer hung his head. "I need someone that knows business and finance...I barely graduated high school, I'm not figuring this out on my own..." He hung his head, the disappointment radiating off him in waves. At least until he abruptly stood up and strode off to the bathroom, in time followed by Soma and a bit more apologetically, Mina.

Arikado kept the fact he hadn't bothered to take the bar to himself.

After all business was taken care of Julius spoke up. "Well, I went to seminary myself. I don't regret it, though I don't use it much these days."

"Seminary? Like, to become a priest?" Mina asked.

"At the time, I had just lost my memory. I had access to a bank account someone had set up with a fake name and address with enough money to survive, but no idea who I was or what I should be doing with my life. But I felt...called, somehow, and the path of a priest _seemed_ to fit. At least it offered a clear route and structure to life that I desperately wanted. I studied, I graduated, and I was about to enter the priesthood when I realised, after eight years, that I hated Church authority and wanted nothing to do with it." He humphed and threw back his own drink. "So I wandered instead. I suppose you could call it freelancing."

"How very Belmont of you." Yoko giggled a little at her non-joke.

"And that's what you were doing when we met, right? That's cool," Soma said, then blinked and turned to Yoko. "How...'Belmont' of him?"

"Where the Belnades clan has always worked hand in hand with the Church, if not fully a part of it, the Belmonts go their own path. That's all!" She gave Julius a sly smile. "An ancient family of anarchists, they are."

Julius gave another humph. "We have our reasons."

There was another lull in the conversation, this time broken by Soma, who had clearly been thinking as hard as he could. So hard that steam might start coming out of his ears at any moment. "So how did the Belmonts get into this whole Dracula-hunting thing, anyway? It's a weird family business, if you ask me."

"Not that you're biased, of course," Julius said dryly. He continued over Soma's sputtering. "So you want to hear the origin of the Belmont clan, the story of my ancestor Leon Belmont and his tragic battle? All right, I can tell you."

"Yeah, sure! If you don't mind." Soma said, with Mina and Hammer chiming in their agreement.

As Julius began, Arikado swirled the drink he hadn't touched all night and remembered the last time he had heard that story, centuries ago...

"All right, then listen. Long ago, back when there were knights and castles, there was a knight named Leon Belmont. He served as a cavalryman in the Byzantine Army, around the time of the First Crusade, though it's unrecorded if he actually saw action there or not. Either way, he was a brave and strong warrior, called undefeatable, called a genius of the battlefield. He would ride to action on a great charger, striking down his enemies with lance and sword. Under his blades innumerable enemies fell. Not only that, but he was a master of strategy. He could plan an action that would rout the enemy with minimal damage to his own men and was called 'Leon the Wise'. By the time he returned home from his adventuring he was a famous and well-honoured man.

"But he returned home to tragedy.

"For in that time, Dracula already existed. He stood on the ramparts of his castle knowing that no one could dare challenge him, the strongest of all vampires, the king of the night. He would often steal maidens from local villages - for Dracula has always had a weakness for human women - and marry them whether they wanted to or not."

Soma interrupted, "Whoa, seriously? Everything I find out about this guy makes him creepier."

"A few of them did apparently fall in love with him, and those times heralded great peace in the land," Julius said. On seeing Soma and Mina's sceptical looks, he added, "No, really."

Mina made a considering noise. "Well, there are all those vampire romance books and manga and stuff. I guess it's a possibility. I dunno if Dracula would be a great catch, though..."

"Hey, I'm an awesome catch. You all should be going out with me. All of you," Soma said.

"You're not the same and you know it!"

"Well, there's someone for everyone, they say! No matter how crazy a person it takes," Yoko added brightly. Arikado very deliberately said nothing, and Yoko suddenly became very interested in the far wall. "Hahaha... Well, Julius! Please continue!"

"Anyway, Leon returned home from the Crusade only to find that his newly-wed wife had in his absence been kidnapped by Dracula. Her name was Sara, and she was a beautiful and kind woman who often did work for the poor in their lands. But that same beauty had caught the eye of Dracula, and so she was spirited off to his castle, Leon in dogged pursuit.

"Leon wasn't stupid, so he gathered a squad of men to go with him on his mission. But as soon as they stepped into the gate, they were set upon by skeletons who never fell. No matter how they hacked at the living bones with their swords, no matter how many times they broke the skeletons down, they would always simply reform and attack again. Within the blink of an eye, most of the squad was wiped out, and the rest ran in fear away from the castle, back to relative safety. Leon was left alone in front of the castle gates, shaken and without hope.

"But then a ray of pure sunlight pierced the eternally darkened woods. When Leon turned toward it in wonder, a spirit appeared within. The spirit spoke to Leon, saying 'Who are you, and what do you do here?'

"Leon replied, 'I am Leon Belmont, soldier of the Romans. My bride has been kidnapped by the vampire of this castle and I seek her return. But my weapons find no purchase on these monsters, and my men have abandoned me and fled. I know not what to do.'

"'The creatures of the night cannot be defeated with any ordinary weapons,' the spirit told him. 'But do not fear. Are you willing to take up arms alone against this entire castle to save your beloved?'

"'If there are arms that can harm these creatures I will take them gladly, and if I must fight alone to save my wife then that is what I will do,' Leon said.

"'Take this whip, blessed with holy power. With it you may defeat all the creatures of this castle - save Dracula. His evil is too strong for anything of this world to destroy.' With that, the spirit and the light faded from view, leaving on the ground only a leather whip. Though Leon was sceptical of how a simple whip could destroy the skeletons when his own blade did nothing, he had faith in the spirit. And when he once again walked through the gate, the skeletons fell at the simple touch of the holy whip."

"Whoa...was that the same whip you use now?" Soma asked.

Julius nodded. "Yes, that very whip. It has been passed down through my family until this day."

"It hasn't worn out? It's got to be really old! Hundreds of years, right?" Mina leaned forward, eyes wide.

"Uh...First Crusade, end of the 11th century...yeah, pretty close to a thousand. Give or take sixty years or so," Soma said. "Man, you'd think the leather would rot or something in all that time."

"It's magic, so it doesn't wear out. Any more smart questions? Very well.

"Leon fought his way through the castle, defeating each of Dracula's minions in turn. It was dark, and he was wounded many times, but his faith never wavered, and by that and the strength of his arms he carried through. Hm, this is usually where I'd go over every monster he fought and how he defeated them - there's a lot of useful information in there - but you've all already met them. I'll skip it.

"So Leon fought his way through the castle, beating monsters like Medusa, mummies, gigantic bats, and even Death, Dracula's constant companion. At last he reached the throne room of Dracula himself, where he found both the vampire and his wife waiting for him. Sara ran up to Leon and embraced him, but it was already too late. On her neck were two bloody holes.

"Dracula laughed, vicious and ugly. 'Give up, Belmont!' he mocked. 'I have already made her one of my own creatures! Leave now, and I may yet spare your miserable life!'

"'Fiend!' Leon spat, but he knew he could do nothing. At that time, no method existed to save those touched by a vampire's kiss. Their only fate was to die a human, or to sink into an eternally cursed half-life, forever denied heaven. Leon could not bear it. He could not bear the thought of losing Sara to death, but neither could either of them live with her becoming a heartless monster that existed merely to prey on humanity."

"Hey! Hey! That's really rude with Arikado sitting right there!" Soma burst out. "It is totally okay to be a vampire as long as you aren't a dick about it." He folded his arms and glared around the table, Mina nodding along at every word.

Arikado closed his eyes. He hadn't even wanted Soma to know about his curse in the first place, but it had happened. Then the boy had somehow gotten the idea he just needed to be more positive about it and the entire problem with being a monster born of the darkness would be solved. And he'd gotten Mina in on it too...he couldn't blame them, with the false information they had, but listening to them was a uniquely grating experience.

"That's right! It's not the outside, but the inside that counts! We proved that all with Soma in the castle, didn't we? As long as your heart remains yours, nothing else matters," Mina said stoutly. "Right, Arikado?"

Arikado again deliberately kept his silence. When it became obvious he wasn't going to say anything Julius coughed and continued.

"Well, that was what Leon thought about it. It's a difficult thing, for a human to turn into a vampire. It's true, some of them manage to restrain their bloodlust - but most lose their soul. Now, sometimes the process can be reversed if they haven't been fully turned, but that's a very recent development and requires a skilled mage to perform. It wasn't even really proven possible until World War II. Leon was a warrior, so even if he had known he wouldn't have been able to do anything. I suppose it might have been possible to let Sara turn into a vampire and hope she could retain her human heart, but that's a hell of a gamble."

"A gamble?" Soma looked surprised, as if it wasn't obvious there were more consequences to vampirism than a sudden taste for blood. "Hm...might've been worth it anyway, though. I mean, then Sara could help fight against Dracula, right?"

"I dunno, Soma," Hammer butted in, "would a medieval lady know how to fight? Didn't they spend all day embroidering or whatever? Though I guess vampires are all super strong, even if they're skinny and pretty..."

"Even if she couldn't fight," Mina said, "she could turn into a bat and spy on Dracula. The castle has lots of bats, I saw them. He wouldn't notice another one flying around, would he?" She looked happy with her idea. "That way she could help Leon get through the castle."

"Without having to test stuff with his face! Yeah, good idea, Mina!" Soma agreed. "...wait, when did you see the bats? There was a barrier up, they shouldn't have been able to get in."

"I snuck out a little ways, just to see. But a skeleton came up to me, so I had to run away...it was pretty scary. But I did see some bats flying around. They were almost cute!"

"I'm pretty sure one tried to eat my head..." Soma trailed off. "Well, anyway...I guess they had good reason to be upset about it, but - hey, Arikado, how does turning into a vampire work? Like, how much of a gamble is it really?"

Arikado just wanted the conversation to be over. Just become a vampire? As if that were a solution! He had never been under any illusions as to what he was, what _Dracula_ was. It was a fate not to be wished on anyone, no matter what the cost. He gave Soma a flat glare and thankfully, the boy backed off.

"Uh...okay, you don't have to answer if you don't want. Sorry for interrupting, Julius."

"I'd ask you to refrain, but I don't think you're capable," Julius said dryly. "But back to the story.

"So Sara had been bitten by the vampire. She and Leon wept together, for soon they would be parted, in body or in soul. 'Oh my love,' she said, 'I would rather die than become like that monster, a cursed cold being that feeds on the life of others.'

"'I would give my life to defeat that beast!' she cried out, and to the astonishment of everyone there, the heavens answered! Her faith and devotion called down a miracle, and guided by the grace of God she took the holy whip into her arms and blessed it with all her love and sorrow. The whip shone with a brilliant light, blinding both Leon and Dracula. When it faded, Sara was gone, with only a sense of deep peace remaining in Leon's heart - and the whip had finally taken on it's true name: the Vampire Killer."

"Wait, so what happened to Sara again? She just...disappeared?" Soma interrupted, again.

"No one really knows what happened to Sara. Leon wrote that she ascended bodily to heaven, like the saints of old, and that makes as much sense as anything else. Point is, her spirit strengthened the whip into a weapon that could destroy Dracula.

"Leon and Dracula fought then, a long and bloody battle. Dracula used his magic to skip in and out of the shadows, appearing and disappearing at will and throwing powerful spells all the while. Leon snapped away the fireballs with his whip and struck many powerful blows against Dracula's head. That's his weakness, by the way. The best way to defeat Dracula is to strike him in the head with the Vampire Killer."

"Oh no, that's my weakness too!" Soma buried his face in his arms with exaggerated emotion.

Mina put her drink on his head. "I'm not sure getting hit in the face is a 'weakness', really."

Julius ignored them both. "In time Dracula grew weaker, and as he felt victory slip from his grasp he grew desperate and terrified. No mortal man had even gotten this far before. No mortal man had ever defeated him. In fear he summoned all his power and transformed himself into a massive, hulking demon, with blue skin and massive horns, claws able to rip a grown man from neck to groin, and teeth to rend and tear. Leon saw what his enemy had become and braced himself, but he knew. As long as he had Sara's final gift with him, there was no way he could lose. And so he threw himself into battle with even greater vigour.

"He fought like a madman, a whirlwind, a demon himself. His whip found every one of Dracula's weak points, carving bloody scars across the monster's flesh wherever Leon struck. No matter how often Dracula flew into the air, how often he lashed out with his claws, how often he snapped with those fangs, Leon always danced out of the way and hit back twice as hard. It was as if the blessing of the Vampire Killer had granted him abilities beyond those of normal men, that he could swing the whip without getting weary, could twist and dodge without exhaustion. And so in the end, that battle was Dracula's first loss.

"Dracula cursed Leon as he lay dying on the floor of his throne room. 'It does not matter that you have won, human! As long as darkness exists in the hearts of men, so shall I! I will return!'

"Leon stood straight and proud and replied 'And when you return, my children will be waiting for you. There will always be a Belmont to hunt the night!'

"And so Dracula died for the first time, and ever since then we Belmonts have kept Leon's vow: to ever fight evil. Any questions?"

"Hm." Soma settled back and looked at the ceiling. "Well, it doesn't sound like it was trying to be an accurate retelling of history."

"More like a fairy tale," Mina agreed.

"Sure was a depressing one, then..." Hammer said.

"And yet it happened," Julius said. "The whip exists. Dracula existed. The Belmonts and Dracula have always had a special grudge." He shrugged. "Perhaps you're right and it didn't happen exactly as I told. We have no way of knowing that. But something like it happened."

"A lot of the records were lost after the Second World War," Yoko added. "What we have was saved and compiled by Loretta Lecarde, but who knows what was originally there? The surviving records mostly date from the 19th century. Best we've got is references to what Leon supposedly wrote down."

"One of the first things you should consider when reading an account is the author's perspective and biases," Soma said, clearly quoting a teacher to sound smart and adult. "Though we all know what Dracula was like, so there's that. Uh...Arikado, you have anything to say about this?"

Arikado pretended to take a sip of his drink. "Not particularly. I've read Loretta's report. There's little difference between that and the story you just heard." Loretta had been very thorough, but there wasn't much to go through after the war. What she had assembled was impressive.

"That's it, huh." Soma was watching him. He looked away before Arikado could decide if it was coincidence or not. Soma wasn't usually perceptive, but... "I bet a lot of it is for passing down useful information for the Belmonts anyway, so they're ready for the castle. Hey, why didn't any of you tell me this?"

"I told you that was part of the story, didn't I? I just skipped it." Julius finished off his drink.

Yoko giggled. "You did fine anyway. By the time we met up you were already a pro!"

"Uh...right..." From the look on his face, Soma didn't seem to agree with Yoko's assessment. "Well, it gives us a pretty good idea of the purpose of the story, and from there-"

"Soma," Mina said, looking at her phone.

"-we can determine what parts were emphasised, though without any sort of alternate versions-"

"Sooooomaaaaaaaaaa." Mina tugged on his sleeve.

"-it's hard to tell what other parts there are for emphasis or what changed between tellers. I'd like to see what Leon was supposed to have written-"

"Soma! Last train, fifteen minutes! We have to go!"

"What?! Oh shit! Get up, grab your things! Move! Move!" Soma scrambled to his feet and raced around the room, grabbing cans and haphazardly throwing them near the recycling bin. Mina followed him, restacking a few of the tumbled boxes and not-so-subtly moving the smashed ones behind other piles.

"Hey, take it easy ya two. You can always just sleep here, I don't mind! Hahaha!" Hammer stood up and cracked his back. "I'll just grab these for you guys," he said and gathered the remaining glasses on the table.

"Thanks, Hammer!" Yoko chirped while Soma yelled over his shoulder, "Hammer, you only have one bed! I'm _done_ with the floor!"

"So, er, Yoko, ya know how yer getting home? It's late and all..." Hammer was doing his routine again.

"I'll be catching a ride with Julius, same as I got here. Don't worry about it!"

Arikado could never decide if Yoko was doing that on purpose or not.

The last can hit the recycling bin, bounced off, and rolled along the floor. Soma and Mina ignored it and sprinted for the door, turning around at the last second. Soma managed to throw himself into a bow and shouted, "Everyone, thank you for coming to my birthday party! I hope you all had a great time, and we'll see you again soon! Hammer, I'll be in for my shift tomorrow. Later, everyone!"

"Laters!" Mina called out.

They ran outside at full tilt, the sound of slamming doors following them into the night. Julius watched them go. "I suppose that's our cue," he said, standing up with a creak. "Thank you for having us over." Yoko and Arikado followed with similar sentiments as they headed towards the door. Hammer waved them all off, as required.

Outside was crisp and cool, with stabbing neon lights and the slightest threat of rain. The maddeningly pressing crowds had dissipated for the evening, leaving just a massive, steady trail of drunks stumbling home. Arikado looked down the road to the station and saw flashes of a white coat receding into the distance in between the drunks. He'd check on them before going home, make sure they got onto the train.

"Aaaaah..." Yoko stretched and rubbed at her eyes. "I'm going to go home and go straight to bed. I'm getting a bit too old for this."

"Humph, pathetic. A vampire hunter should always be ready to battle the whole night through," Julius said, just before a massive yawn. "...but I suppose I'm getting old as well."

Arikado mentally reviewed the cases they had open. "I'll check up on those werewolf reports we saw last week. It's likely nothing - there hasn't been any sign of portals in the vicinity - but we can't afford to let anything out of chaos. Best to be sure." He couldn't resist adding, without letting the slightest hint of irony into his voice, "After all, the night is still young."

The pair gave him identical looks of exasperation mingled with disbelief. Yoko rolled her eyes and got into the battered truck by the curb. "Yeah yeah, rub it in. I'll call you as soon as I wake up, we can go over the reports then. You go home and eat properly, don't think I didn't see you skipping the cake. Ciao!"

Julius followed her but paused, the door open, his expression thoughtful. "Alucard. Did he...did Dracula ever tell you that story? The story of Leon Belmont?"

"No." Arikado turned to walk away. The wind was picking up, good weather for flying. He'd have to be fast to catch up to Soma and Mina. "Good night, both of you."

"Mm. Good night."


	2. Maria

Alucard had a headache. His arms felt wobbly and gelatinous like they had been replaced with slimes, his back hurt where Dracula's claws had carved deep, and his right ankle sent shooting pains through his entire leg at every step. And every few yards the thick tree cover would break _just enough_ to send a spike of sunlight straight into his eye.

Just a bit farther, he told himself. Keep walking, find the ruins, and then there will be rest. In that quiet dark his body would heal itself and the sickening black ball of guilt/anger/misery/satisfaction in his chest that appeared whenever he fought his father would drain away. Just over the next ridge...

Leaves rustled behind him — footsteps.

Alucard waited, one hand on his sword. This was too deep in the forest, too close to the castle, for someone hoping to find meat for dinner. Anyone here - they would be hunting different prey.

The footsteps came closer. Whoever it was, they were hurrying. Not a hunter? A lost or captured peasant, hoping to make it home in one piece? Alucard didn't release his sword.

"There you are!"

The girl from the castle - Maria, that was her name - raced up and skidded to a halt, panting with effort. "Found you!"

"So you did. For what purpose?" Between her and Richter no monster stragglers should be a threat. The castle was destroyed, the curse broken, Dracula returned to the abyss. There was no reason for them to meet. "Unless you wish to hunt me, we have no more reason to see each other."

"Hmm." She smiled a strange little smile. "Would you like me to hunt you?"

His sword was in his hand and his body in a fighting stance before he knew it. It was impossible - but she had just said - if it was a fight she wanted...

"Wait, wait! Er, it was a joke! Calm down!" She waved her hands in front of her like flapping birds, open-handed for peace. "I just want to...walk with you for a bit. Is that all right?"

Alucard put his sword away. Such a transparent excuse... How ridiculous. He should have expected something like this, after Grant had begged him to come along to the sea and even Sypha had offered to let him stay in her home. But he hadn't strayed, and if he hadn't for them then there was no way in hell or heaven he'd do it for Maria.

He turned and set off again, with an "If you wish" tossed over his shoulder. Maria followed swiftly, her hair bouncing like a horse's tail.

She didn't seem to want to talk, which suited Alucard fine. The ruins hadn't been over the next ridge, he didn't recognize any part of the landscape, and somehow he'd wandered into forest so thick not even the sun could get through. It was helping his headache, but without the sun he couldn't even figure out the best way to go to get to Aljiba, let alone Cordova. He could feel the sun pressing down on him, but of absolutely no use. If it would just set he could transform into a bat and survey the land, but...and with Maria there he couldn't just curl up under a tree until nightfall either.

The ruins were due west of the castle! He hadn't varied his course! ...much.

Maria kept taking considering looks around, as if she knew the lay of the land. Which she probably did.

"Where are you headed, anyway?" She made it sound light, and Alucard couldn't decide if he was grateful to her for it or not.

It was unlikely to do harm if she knew, and perhaps she could help while keeping his dignity intact. "There is a ruined church between Cordova and Jova. That is where I will rest."

"Cordova and Jova? Hm..." Maria craned her head this way and that, then rushed forward to a boulder that looked just like the one they had passed half an hour ago. It might have been the same one. "If we head this way," she said, pointing in a completely different direction than they had been going, "then we'll at least get to Jova. It will be a bit of a walk, though."

"Ah. Good." Alucard dragged his protesting leg along, and did his absolute damnedest to ignore the sweet scent of blood surrounding to Maria. His body knew what it would take to heal him. His mind would not allow it.

The silence continued, somehow even becoming awkward. Alucard was starting to feel the soft touch of obligation, but had no idea how to fulfil it. Maria had come here to talk to him, but the castle was gone. Their missions were complete. What else was there?

His father had once told him, 'if you do not wish to speak to a person, let them speak of themselves'. Very well. He coughed, slightly, and asked "How did you become a vampire hunter, Maria?"

"Huh? Oh! You spoke. I was wondering if you had forgotten how." She laughed, but soon trailed off. "Well, I'm a descendent of the Belmonts, though through a branch family. Mmm, I think Richter and I are third cousins? Maybe fourth. But I've always had powers. To tame animals, to call upon spirits...it was only natural for me to learn to fight, to defend my home and people." She raised her hand, and a dove alighted upon it, though Alucard could not see where it had come from. "When Dracula attacked five years ago, I went to the castle to fight him. I maybe got into a bit of trouble...but just a bit. I could've gotten out! Ah, anyway, that's how I met Richter, and together we defeated Dracula and destroyed the castle." Her words tumbled out in a rush, only to stop short at the end.

Alucard blinked, and realised it was the most he'd ever heard her say. "I see."

"As a descendent of the Belmont clan, it is my duty to purge the land of evil. It is for this reason I have these powers, and I am glad to fulfil that purpose." She recited the words as a long-repeated creed, but one she believed in with her whole heart.

"Then, I assume you know the tale of the origin of the Belmont clan?" It was a sly trick, but they were still far from Jova and Alucard knew he could not maintain a proper conversation that long. The tale of Leon Belmont was decently long and likely had been embellished over the years, and from there he could just keep asking questions about Belmont history for as long as it took.

"Eh? Of course!"

"Then, if you would?" He made a sweeping gesture with his hand, one that just got a confused look out of Maria.

"What, you want me to tell you the story? Haven't you heard it already? Well, no matter. I'll tell you what I know. It will make the path shorter, at least." She settled into a loping pace that would leave her breath for speaking and began. As she started, Alucard remembered the last time he had heard that story, in this very same forest just a few days - no, centuries, it was centuries - ago...

"Once, many centuries ago in this very land, there lived a soldier of the Roman Empire. His name was Leon Belmont, and he was both brave and good. He went as a representative of the Empire in the First Crusade, and held the dirty western Crusaders back from their rape and plunder. He had a small band of men, and they loved each other all as brothers. The men aren't mentioned after this...they probably all died in the fighting.

"There's a story about the fall of Jerusalem, you know. Leon was there, of course, and as they charged inside he could not see for weeping, for he knew that the holy city would be defiled by war. Once inside the Crusaders set themselves to pillage, breaking and burning the most precious relics of Christianity, making the churches into brothels, and slaughtering Jew, Christian, and Muslim alike. Leon found a group of them menacing a young woman right in front of the Church of the Resurrection itself! They stalked around her like hungry dogs, leaping forward to tear at her clothing and snapping their sharp teeth. 'Come with us, young maid!' They cried, their voices rough as devils. 'Come with us and give us a good time!' The woman cowered and wept, praying to God to save her from these beasts in the form of men.

"Leon rushed forward and called out to the men, 'Stop, you curs! Away from her, and away from this place! You would defile our Lord's tomb with your filth!' The men spat at him and jeered, saying if God wanted to stop them, He had best come down and do it personally.

"Leon felt the Holy Spirit fill him with power and said, 'Then with His blessing, I will do it myself!' With that, he grasped one of the men's swords with his bare hand and tore it out of his grip. He beat all the Crusaders to death with his bare hands, though they were armed and armoured themselves. The woman thanked him profusely, and he comforted her, then gave her his own cloak and money and helped to get her inside the church for sanctuary. When he came out again, the Crusaders' bodies had been dragged into the gutter and eaten by dogs.

"That's how Leon fought through the Crusade. Afterwards he returned home, to his land of forests and mountains, his beloved wife and children. He was grieved by the loss of his friends and the horrors he had seen on the way, but was comforted by the thought of soon seeing his family again.

"But he returned home to tragedy.

"For you see, Dracula already existed at that time. I don't know how much he told you of his past, but it's said that at that time he ruled with another vampire by his side, one named Walter. Where Dracula was cold and cunning, Walter was wild and ravenous, unable to control his hunger. Back then he also had a human wife, who he did love deeply. As long as she was there Dracula was at peace, and the forces of evil were contained." She broke off suddenly, with the look of someone who has had an idea. "But I don't suppose that could have been your mother?"

"No." She didn't need to know any more than that.

The shortness of the reply didn't seem to bother her. "Well, all right then. So one day, this wife of Dracula's died, quite suddenly. He was beside himself with sorrow and wandered through the countryside, weeping that she had been taken from him so soon. He saw nothing, heard nothing, felt nothing but his own grief."

Alucard kept his gaze steadily ahead. It was obvious where the story had been going. Perhaps some of his words to Trevor and Sypha had been passed down. There was nothing to be surprised about, no reason to remember -

He very deliberately put weight on his right leg and forced the pain to keep him in the present. Maria kept on, entirely focused on her story.

"Until one day he came upon the village of Aljiba, where Leon's family lived. As he passed through in the dark of night, Dracula happened to glance up at the window where Leon's wife Sara stood, under the midnight sky. And her beauty pierced Dracula's heart, for she was the very image of the wife he had just lost. Her hair was light and shone like the sun on ripened grain, her skin was smooth and fair, and her eyes were pale like the edges of the horizon. She wore a dress of black edged in silver, and more silver in her hair."

Alucard nearly stopped in his surprise - there was no way, absolutely no way she could've known so _how_ could she have the slightest idea of what Mother - realised it would give him away, but couldn't swing smoothly back into his steady stride. His right foot twisted under him, unable to support his weight any longer, fresh spikes of pain snapping along the entire length. Somehow he ended up leaning on Maria - blood close, far too close, _right there_ \- until he was able to get his balance back. Fresh blood trickled from the gashes on his back.

"Careful! Was...was it something I said?" Maria was very strong; she didn't even seem to notice his weight.

Still. He cannot allow this weakness. He pushed off her and stood straight again, away from her neck. "I'm fine." He hesitated, but he needed an excuse and it was close enough to the truth. "Some of my wounds have not healed yet. Pay it no mind."

She pursed her lips in concern. "Do you want to rest?"

"It would be faster to find the church."

"If you say so." She tilted her head in thought. "If you like, I have some cake. It might make you feel better, or at least you won't be hungry." She dug into pockets Alucard hadn't even known she had until she came up with a small waterskin and a thick chunk of cake covered in a solid glaze, more loaf than confection. She broke the cake in half and offered him part.

He took it, out of other options. "I'm not hungry. If you will, I'll save it."

"Not hungry, or not hungry for cake?" Her mouth twisted oddly, and she drank from the skin. "Ah, that's better! So much talking dries the throat. Do you want me to keep going?"

"If you will." It was still preferable to silence. He would just have to keep his emotions on a tighter leash. Thinking on it with a clearer head, light hair and pale eyes could be any description of a beautiful woman. That the image resembled Mother meant nothing. After all, Mother had -

Mother had -

He couldn't remember. It was a cold and sickening realization that wrapped around his stomach and crawled up his spine. He remembered her body on the cross, remembered what she had said - but not her smile when she saw him, not her voice as she put him to bed. It was all a faded blur, overshadowed by fire and smoke. A sacrifice to time.

He felt his father had mentioned it once, speaking of the cruelty of time to a boy that didn't understand, had no way of understanding. Now he did. He couldn't remember Mother's face.

Maria continued with no indication she noticed his swirling thoughts. "Now, where was I...ah yes. Dracula appeared before Sara and said, 'Fair maid, come with me, and I will make you a queen.'

"She replied, 'I must tell you nay, for I am no maid but a woman wed, and one with no desire to rule.'

"Dracula said, 'Then leave your husband and come with me, for I will grant you gold to match your hair and jewels to match your eyes, though your beauty would certainly outshine them both.'

"Sara replied, 'I must tell you nay, for I have my husband and I have my children, and they are all the treasures I need.'

"Then Dracula grew angry and he said, 'Come with me, or all the people of this village will be burned in my wrath. Come with me, or I will rip your husband to pieces and throw him to the pigs. Come with me, or I will tear out your childrens' throats and leave them drowning in their own blood.'

"At this Sara grew pale and seeing no choice, agreed. And so Dracula spirited her away from her home, and that was what Leon came home to.

"'Mama has been taken by the vampire!' His son told him, and shook with fear.

"'Mama will be killed!' His daughter cried, and wept with fear."

"Leon had children?" Alucard asked. This was new.

"Of course," Maria replied. "Where do you think the rest of us came from?

"Leon gathered his children close and comforted them. 'Fear not, for I will go, and I will destroy the vampire, and I will bring mama home.' So he set off, sword in hand, to Dracula's castle. He was the first so he didn't have the Vampire Killer yet, you understand.

"Dracula's castle, as it is now, was on a lake beyond a deep dark forest. As Leon rode through the forest he heard neither bird nor beast, and as he got further and further the forest grew darker and darker, though by his reckoning the true time was high noon. At last he reached the great gates covered with blood and rotting corpses, and there he tied his horse and ventured inside.

"Inside the castle it was dark and rotting, with dim stone walls only illuminated by flickering candles and the wind howling outside. Well, you've seen it. Zombies tore themselves up from the ground in front of him, and though he slashed until his arms could barely lift his sword, not one of them fell. In the end, he was forced to retreat.

"Leon stood outside the castle, panting with exhaustion, and tried to think of what to do. His sword had no effect. He could not bring more men in, not when they would likely meet the same fate - or worse. The local priest was busy with funerals, and could not be spared for this risky venture. As he stood there, something shifted the underbrush behind him.

"Behind him was a bent old man leaning on a cane. He had ordinary brown eyes, ordinary grey hair, and ordinary tanned skin - in other words, an ordinary human. The old man gazed steadily at Leon. Leon stared back in confusion, until he finally greeted the old man politely and asked why he was here.

"'Ah, such a polite young man,' the elder replied. 'I live here, for this old flesh is too dried and shrivelled to interest the vampire lord, and there is good I might do here yet. You are here to defeat him, yes?'

"'My wife was taken by Dracula,' Leon said, 'but my sword finds no purchase on these dead men. I do not know how I might save her. Elder, should you have any idea, please give me a hint.'

"'They are creatures of Dracula's magic, and will not fall to your weapons. But since you have spoken kindly to me, I will give you a gift. Take this whip, for it is enchanted with holy magic in opposition to Dracula's evil. But beware: nothing of this Earth but Dracula's power can truly destroy him.' The old man handed Leon a simple leather whip, which Leon accepted gratefully.

"'Thank you, my friend. When I return, come with me, and stay at my house. My wife and I will make sure you are well-kept for the rest of your days.' And with that, Leon strode back into the castle.

"Leon fought many terrible creatures in that unholy place, but I'm sure you know them better than I can tell. But while he was fighting, Sara was imprisoned.

"She was placed in the rooms of Dracula's late wife, which were lovely and scrumptious in every way. Curtains of finest deep blue velvet covered the windows, and soft wool rugs in a dazzling variety of colours covered the floor. The bed was stuffed with feathers, and the coverings of delicate linen. Dracula came to her and said, 'My lady, you may have all new clothes, in whatever style you desire. Speak, and I shall grant your wish.'

"'I only require a simple, rough dress of plain linen, my lord,' Sara replied humbly, and though Dracula tried to persuade her she held firm, and within a few hours the skeletons had tailored her a simple and rough dress of linen.

"Then Dracula said, 'My lady, here I have a feast for you. Here are fresh cuts of meat and the finest wines, here are cakes and fruits by the dozen. Eat whatever you like, and I shall always get you more.'

"'I will only take a bit of bread, for that is all I require,' Sara replied, and indeed despite all of Dracula's words she only held on to a bit of stale bread.

"Then Dracula said, 'My lady, what amusements do you wish? I cannot allow you to leave yet, for there is an intruder in the castle, but you do not have to be bored. There is music, and books, and conversation if you may bear with the skeleton's chattering teeth.'

"'I only require a spindle, that I may engage my hands with something useful,' Sara replied, and once again held fast so that Dracula was forced to give her a plain spindle to work with - but as he was getting annoyed with her defiance of his gifts, he left her no wool.

"Sara changed into the plain dress and scattered pieces of bread about the room and on the windowsill. When mice and birds came to eat the bread she stopped them and bade that they bring her scraps of wool and flax. With these she spun herself a rope, filled with spells and prayers for strength, lightness, and secrecy, and hid it in the folds of the curtains."

"Sara could speak with animals?" Alucard felt like he should be responding to the tale in some way.

"The Belmonts have always had powers beyond ordinary people, granted to them by God. Leon was also a man of unusual strength, remember? Of course Sara could work simple spells like that."

"But not witchery."

"...some have called it such," Maria allowed, though she seemed uncomfortable with the comparison. "But she used her powers for good, and was not in the service of darkness, so of course it is not the same as - as one of Dracula's witches. Should you walk in the light, you have nothing to fear."

Of course not. Times certainly had changed. Alucard wondered what Sypha would have said, to hear her many-times great-granddaughter speak so. He wondered what Mother would have said.

A memory came to him, very recent, one of green stone walls and tremendous heat, light off red hair, a voice: 'But I will not. They killed the Mistress, didn't they? This is war,' sharp, bloody pain, and the shuddering jar of his blade hitting bone. "Nothing to fear? And how are they to know?

"Well, if they come from the castle, they're one of his. Then they need to be hunted, just like all his monsters." Maria was giving him an odd look, a bit questioning. Did she think him showing sympathy?

"Is that so." Another memory returned, far older, now the barest of echoes: a stone bench and climbing vines, another voice: 'Watch, young master! Now we can fly together!', cool winds and laughter.

In the end, it _was_ war.

Father had been right: everything got easier with practice.

Maria kept on. "In the end, Sara had magical powers but was not evil. Yes? Now, her rooms overlooked a courtyard in the middle of Dracula's castle. It would be impossible for Sara to get out of the castle alone, so she watched, and waited, and in time she was rewarded: for Leon appeared below her, whipping an Alraune until it died. Sara shouted to him and unwound the rope to the ground, the other end attached to a heavy table. And so she descended to meet her husband.

"But do you remember Walter, the vicious and wild vampire? He had been watching, and he disliked the woman who took up so much of Dracula's time. He flew to the vacant room as a furious storm of bats and ripped the rope apart with his fangs and claws. He watched as Sara fell the rest of the way down the tower, only to gnash his teeth when Leon caught her safely in him arms. 'But it is not over yet,' he snarled, and flew away as Leon and Sara made good their reunion and escape.

"Leon and Sara raced to the gate, together making short work of the few remaining monsters in their way. The great and bloody iron gates of Dracula's Castle rose high before them, beyond that the thick dark forest, but beyond even that was the faint, dim light of the sun. They focused on that small, far-away light, pushing their exhausted bodies even further...but they were not to reach it.

"Before they could get within twenty paces of the gate, Dracula appeared before them. He smiled, showing every inch of his sharp teeth. 'But where are you going, my sweet? This is your home.'

"'This will never be my home,' Sara declared.

"'We are going now,' Leon said, 'and we will do it through you if we must.'

"For a moment, Dracula dropped his head. But when he raised it again, his lips were pulled back in an animal's snarl. 'If that is how you wish it, then I will oblige! Walter!'

"'Little humans...' A low, vicious voice came from behind. Walter crept out of the shadows bent like a beast, eyes bright with bloodlust. 'I can smell you. I can smell your blood! Give it to me!' And he charged.

"So the battle was joined. Dracula fought as he always did, with teleportation and fireballs - I'm sure you know already."

Hellfire? Alucard could not recall a single time Dracula had used that spell against him. It was flashy, sometimes useful for moving around, but slow in a real fight. Was his father so arrogant, or...?

"Walter was as a savage wolf, leaping in great bounds, tearing with fang and claw, never seeming to notice any blows. There was little enough human left in him to begin with, there was none now.

"Leon fought back with his whip and the few vials of holy water he still had. Sara still had her rope and animal friends; she bound the vampires in the rope and called down birds to blind them, mice to nip at them. Every distraction meant Leon struck true, and in time Walter fell.

"But Dracula did not. At best Sara could distract him for a few seconds, at best Leon could stun him. It was just as the old man had said - Dracula was far too powerful for anything to destroy. In time Leon stumbled, in time Sara's thread wore away to nothing, in time they were both on their knees. Dracula walked towards Leon, slowly and calmly. 'Now watch,' he said to Sara as he opened his cape and sparks of hellfire flickered within. 'You brought him to this fate.'

"The fireballs flew towards Leon, but did not hit - Sara, with one last burst of strength, threw her own body in front of her husband. It was her last act. She collapsed on top of Leon, and barely whispered words meant for him alone before breathing her last.

"And then, a miracle occurred.

"For one moment, the eternal night parted, and one single ray of sunlight shone down upon the couple. Leon and Sara were bathed in true light, for God had heard their prayers and by their faith and sacrifice He blessed the whip to attain its true form: the Vampire Killer. At last there was a weapon capable of destroying Dracula.

"Putting all his sorrow and grief into his blows, Leon drove Dracula back. Though once he had the advantage, the vampire could not stand against the holy whip. Leon felt new strength flowing through his body, a lightness that could only come from heaven's blessing. Even when Dracula's form twisted and he transformed himself into a massive demon, half as tall as the sky, as wide as the gate, Leon did not falter. And in the end, it was Dracula who fell.

"After so many centuries, the sun pierced the endless night. As the light spilled over the castle walls they began to crumble and fall, unable to stand without the power of their master. Leon saw this and gathered Sara's body in his arms, carrying her away from the cursed land. But even as her body was but an empty shell, Leon could feel her spirit beside him, and knew he would not have to walk on alone.

"'Watch over me, Sara. I will train our children, so no one else will have to suffer as we have. From this day forth I vow: the Belmont clan will hunt the night.'"

They walked on in silence, the forest rustling around them.

"And that is the entire story?" Alucard finally asked. It had made the time shorter, at least. The light filtering through the gaps in the trees was taking on a relieving red tone as the sun finally made his long journey downwards. "What happened to the old man in the forest?"

"Leon kept his promise and brought him back home, I suppose. That was the entire story as I know it, the same one I heard from my parents. Richter might tell you a different tale. Every branch of the family has their own version, or so they say. But they're all roughly the same." Maria took another sip from her waterskin and held it out to Alucard, he shook his head and she put it away again. "Grandfather Juste collected them like he collected antiques. He said there was one that had three vampires: Dracula, Walter, and Mathias. But Mathias didn't do much, so no one bothered to remember him."

"Being forgotten likely angered him more than being defeated." More likely it suited him just fine, but that wasn't for Maria to know.

"If he existed at all. Not all tales are true." Maria shrugged. "I believe my tale to be true enough in spirit, which is all you can ask."

"Indeed." The tale over, their conversation stuttered and died once more. But Alucard was starting to recognize these woods, if not quite the exact details. The path was slowly shifting from barely more than an animal track to a broad trail of packed earth, and the trees were thinning, shifting from the great old trees by the castle to the smaller saplings of civilization. As expected, soon Jova appeared before them, the candle glowing in the church tower a precious ward against the night.

It was bigger than Alucard remembered.

Maria kept walking without hesitation, and this time it was Alucard who had to catch up. It had to be Jova, but he remembered playing around a tiny collection of houses, barely enough to justify coming there. This was - perhaps not a city, but a town. A town with so many blinking lights, so many people... He couldn't quite understand how they all lived. _Why_ they lived, here in the shadow of the castle.

"Perhaps we'd best stop there for the night. Even if you are a dhampire, you must be tired after your battle," Maria said, carefully not looking at him.

"In that case it would be best to be as far away from people as possible."

"You're right, I suppose." All her words were light. It had to be deliberate. "But I know a butcher there, a man of great understanding and discretion - if that would satisfy." She really looked at him then, a disturbingly penetrating stare. "I would like some dinner myself, if you would not mind accompanying me."

Alucard would mind. What made dinner sound like a good idea? If what the butcher offered could even satisfy - he had no idea how long he had been battling in the castle, and though he knew there was a limit to how long he could go without true human blood, he had no idea what it was. As a child he had fed on Dracula's schedule, with Trevor everything had been over quickly. If he were to be in a town when he found out that a pig or deer _wasn't enough_...

But even as he thought that, he knew his leg wouldn't carry him all the way to the church. He'd be lucky if it got him to this butcher's. Not to mention the gashes in his back - the blood had stopped flowing, but they ached with a great, bone-deep pain. And he was tired, so very tired. All he wanted to do was find a quiet place to collapse.

He probably was hungry under all that.

Alucard bowed his head. "Lead on, my lady." If the worst happened he could always transform into a wolf and flee the town. With luck he'd even find his destination.

Maria smiled at him then, bright and happy, and they went on to town. But that expression faded from her face as they picked their way down the sloping trail, and her voice was low when she asked "Alucard...did Dracula ever tell you that story - of how he started the feud with the Belmonts?"

"No."

Maria hummed in response to his short reply and let the matter drop.


	3. Trevor

The rabbit was too frightened to even twitch. Alucard was gripping it as carefully as he knew how - it would do him no good dead - but the beast knew what a wolf's jaw was for. It was limp as he slunk through the thick undergrowth back to the fire.

Grant took the rabbit out of his mouth. "All right, there you go, easy now," he murmured as he grasped its legs firmly so it couldn't get away when Alucard released it. "Good boy!" He gave the sensitive little area right behind Alucard's ear a good, hard scratch.

Alucard's tail thumped twice against the leaf-strewn ground before he managed to change back. It felt good, but hell if he'd ever admit it to this group. "Stop that! Would you scratch a real wolf behind the ears?"

"Sure I would, if it were muzzled!" Grant gave a lazy, cheeky smile and held out the rabbit, now twisting to get away. "Here's your dinner back."

Alucard took it around the middle and it instantly stilled again. Even now, it knew what he was. He settled down a good distance from Grant while staying in the small light of the fire. Sypha was holding it steady, with such control and power Alucard was almost jealous.

"Amazing, Sypha! Just a bit longer, the meat's almost done," Trevor said, and he sounded utterly sincere in his praise. Sypha just crouched further in on himself, but the fire did blaze brighter at his command.

The rabbit's fur was soft under Alucard's fingers. He idly stroked it, soothing down the fur that always stood right back up again, feeling the minute shivers the beast couldn't stop. Quickly, then. He grasped the rabbit firmly, turned it over, and plunged his fangs into its soft little neck. Blood, hot and heavy, filled with soft browns and dark shadows, crumbling earth, speed and chase - it filled his body with precious life. He could feel his heart beat sluggishly, renewed by the blood, the life, and now he was hungry, his neglected human stomach grumbling. Feed the vampire to feed the human. Dead men couldn't eat, but the blood was life.

The rabbit's small body was quickly drained, granting just enough blood for Alucard's needs. He lowered the body - they'd skin and eat it later - and licked a few stay drops from his lips. He looked up, and Sypha was glaring at him.

It was hard to read expressions from inside that hood, but the tension in his body was unmistakable. His knuckles were white around his staff, and the fire snapped and sparked nearly out of control. Sypha had never bothered to hide how much he hated having a half-vampire there, how much he resented having to work alongside what he had been raised to kill.

Alucard glared right back. Sypha was a good man, and a powerful mage. His help had been invaluable so far - a fully trained magician of the church, accepted and loved and _he was alive when Mother was dead_.

Someone coughed, and there was a shuffling next to Alucard. "All righty then...well, I'll just take this off your hands if you're done with it, get it all cleaned and ready, lots of good meat on here..." Grant's hasty mumbling died off as even he ran out of things to say.

"You know, for a long time the Belmont clan was considered to be just as bad as the demons we fought," Trevor said, more to the fire than anyone else. "We have strength beyond that of ordinary men. Wounds are light and heal quickly. Honed skills. When I was young...my mother and I were in Poland, near a village under attack by trolls. My mother cleared out the whole nest of them and came back to the village, crying 'you're safe now!' while dripping with ichor. So of course they refused to pay us and chased us out before the sun even rose."

People were the same everywhere after all. Alucard had known that, in a vague way, but a part of him had always wanted to dismiss it as his father's ranting. But why tell that story now? Had he and Sypha been so obvious? They probably had, he admitted with a sour feeling. Obvious enough to force Trevor to step in.

"They were probably right," Trevor continued. "Our clan does have dark powers. There's no other way to defeat the night than to become part of it. No other way. That's why we're all here, yes? There's no one else. By blood and by power, none of us belong in the light. And that's why we can defeat this evil."

"Speak for yourself," Grant said. "Now I'm no longer transformed, I'm a perfectly ordinary pirate. After this I go back to the high life-"

"-of stealing whatever catches your fancy." It was hard to catch Sypha's words. He always spoke so low he could barely be understood.

"Of course! I think I will put it to better use, whatever it may be."

Sypha sighed and reached out for the meat. After a bit of hesitation, he held some out to Alucard as well. "Trevor has a point, I suppose. Who among _this_ group is without sin?"

"Who anywhere?" Alucard replied. The meat was charred, but edible.

"We are all fallen before Christ, after all." Sypha took a bite of his own meat. "Even if we were born ordinary men, we would still have the temptation to sin. As we are..."

Alucard looked away. Grant asked about Trevor's mother and childhood, so far from Wallachia, but Alucard didn't listen further. Mother had always been very insistent that all sins could be redeemed with love and true effort to walk the path of righteousness. Being born a monster, being born in darkness did not matter, as long as one made a true effort to be reunited with God. With love...but under the right circumstances, even love itself could be a sin. What else could it be to love the King of the Night?

A sharp poke to his leg started Alucard out of his thoughts. "Stop staring at the trees and eat that before it gets cold," Grant said, gesturing at the hunk of meat. "No sense in wasting good food. There's not gonna be much once we get to the castle." Alucard made some sort of noise of agreement and swallowed the rest, which churned with his thoughts in his stomach.

Sypha and Trevor were still discussing vampire hunting, and Sypha seemed a bit more animated than usual. "...it was only a few years before this war that the Church started taking vampire hunting seriously again. Looking back, I can't believe they got so complacent...it's like no one knew Dracula existed until some smalltown priest raised the alarm. It was luck that we were both around, wasn't it? Suddenly my dark powers were valuable..."

Trevor nodded. "Heh, the same for me. I never expected to get a message from the Patriarch himself. After centuries of wandering Europe, now they find use for us...but it is better than letting this continue."

"Centuries..." Sypha's hood tilted forward. "For how long? I've seen mention of Belmonts before, but never a solid history. Never the tale of where they came from."

"You want to hear that story? Well, nothing should be approaching this area after we cleared it out. We have some time. Alucard, Grant, do you want to hear the tale of Leon Belmont and the beginning of his battle against darkness?"

Grant agreed before Trevor had even finished speaking, and Alucard was after him. It would keep off the chill, both physical and metaphorical. But even as he settled in to listen to Trevor, he remembered the last time he had heard a story about Leon Belmont, a lifetime that was somehow still less than a decade ago...

"Then listen, all of you. This is the story my mother told me, a story she heard from her father, who heard it from his, and back and back and back. It is the story of our ancestor, Leon Belmont, and how he cursed himself and all those who followed him.

"Once Leon was a knight from the west. He fought in the Crusades-"

"A Crusader? One of the ones who raped Constantinople, or just Jerusalem?" Grant interrupted, and got a crack across the knee from Sypha's staff for it.

Trevor just said "Jerusalem, probably," and continued. "In the fighting he lost his dearest friend. I don't know what his name was, but it's said he was a man of great wisdom and learning, and to Leon losing him was like losing half of himself. After his company lost their greatest strategist they were soon wiped out. Leon fought as hard as he could, but in the end could only barely get away with his hide intact. After that, tired in body and soul, he returned back to his lands in the Holy Roman Empire.

"But he returned home to tragedy.

"Leon lived in the shadow of a pair of vampires, named Walter and Mathias. Mathias preferred to hide in darkness and rarely left their castle, but Walter was bold and enjoyed tormenting the humans nearby. He had stolen Leon's betrothed, Sara, merely for a bit of sport. After the Crusade Leon had no more men to storm the vampire's castle. So he went alone into the gates of hell, with nothing but a sword, a small dagger, and a few vials of holy water.

"Once he got to the castle, however, his sword found no purchase on the foes he faced. He threw down the holy water and made good his retreat. Then Leon stood at the gate and wondered what he could do now.

"It was then a spirit appeared before him. The spirit asked Leon what he did here, and Leon told him. The spirit said that only evil's power could defeat the vampires living here, and should Leon wish to save his beloved he must sell his very soul for power. Without hesitation, Leon bowed his head and accepted.

"The spirit granted him a whip and a curse. The whip was powered by the curse, and by its strange power Leon was able to defeat the creatures of the castle and take their power for his own. So fortified, Leon once more set out to fight.

"The first place he fought was in a dark and twisted chapel, all holy power replaced by sin. The altar-room was entirely remade into a monster, with walls and floor of bleeding flesh and worms crawling between the splintered benches. Leon slaughtered the worms and exposed the creature's beating heart. He tore that heart out and crushed it, and the creature shrieked as it died. When it was gone it left behind a small orb like glass. Remembering the spirit's words, Leon ate it. He felt himself lose part of his sense of charity and gained the strength to transform his dagger into knives that sprung up out of the ground beneath his enemy."

Sypha held up his hand and Trevor paused long enough for the magician to turn to Alucard and ask, "Do you know of that creature? I have never seen reference to it, but you...would know of such things."

"I do," Alucard said. "It's a kind of parasite, one that covers an entire room with its flesh and lives off the energy in the area."

"Is there one in Dracula's castle?" Trevor asked the obvious question, and Alucard shook his head.

"I've only read about it. I don't think Fath-Dracula has one, or that he'd allow it to live in his castle in the first place. He...doesn't like such things." He had always said a proper castle had walls of wood and stone.

Trevor took in the information without changing his expression. "Then, do you know of this one? Next, Leon fought his way through a sorcerer's lair and at the end found the project that had killed the unfortunate dabbler: a massive man of stone. Leon broke the crystal that housed its spirit and it collapsed. In the rubble was another orb, and when Leon ate it he lost some of his diligence but gained the strength to summon axes around himself that threw themselves forward."

"A golem...it's a fairly common creature, and simple to make with alchemy. I made a small one of my own when I was a child." Alucard tried to remember if there were any left after the failed Turkish assault. "I believe the ones capable of battle were all destroyed. They might be simple to make, but forging one that won't break under strain is time-consuming. I don't think we'll have to face any."

"Hm, good. In the garden Leon fought Medusa. When she fell Leon tore into her body and found the third orb - with it he lost patience but gained the ability to transform his holy water into balls of fire that burned the creatures alive."

"Medusa? That snakey lady we fought, right? She's that old?" Grant asked.

"I've read of her in ancient Greek texts," Sypha said.

"Age must've slowed her down then, huh? She was barely a fight worth remembering."

Alucard kept quiet. He'd never been close to Medusa - she was too old, too strange for a child, with her endlessly multiplying snakes and the heads that fell from her hair like rain - but she was a constant presence in the castle, as solid and reliable as Death himself. Picturing her in another castle, or even the Mediterranean islands of her youth, seemed somehow wrong. That she had fallen so easily...he knew he should be happy, but the wrongness of it grated anyway.

Trevor continued, the same as before. "In the dank cellars Leon fought an imprisoned madman, who whirled blades around in a deadly dance. He was sure defeating Leon would earn him his freedom, but the only freedom he found was death. Hidden on his body Leon found his orb, and eating it cost Leon some of his humility but granted him the power, when he held his cross, to call down a massive blast of power from the heavens themselves."

Grant gave Alucard an odd sidelong look, to which he replied with a shaking head. All the prisoners inside the castle were dead. He knew that for a fact. It was just practice, Father said everything was easier with practice, and after zombies were living men -

No prisoners yet lived in Dracula's castle.

"Finally, in a dusty theatre, Leon fought a succubus, beautiful and tempting. She flew on cursed bat wings, her bared skin as white as snow and her lips as red as blood. From the ground she called forth vines to entangle Leon, and ripped at him with her sharp nails. But in the end she fell like all the rest, and Leon claimed his prize from her jewellery. Eating that orb cost Leon some of his chastity, but granted him the power to crush a crystal and through that, every enemy he could see."

Grant rubbed at his chin, previous dark mood vanished like mist. "So...Alucard. Are we...we gonna see any?"

Alucard blinked, startled out of the pit of sand and blood in his memories. "Any what? Succubi?"

"Of course, man! Dhampire. Whatever." Grant seemed almost cheerful about the prospect, his grin flashing in the firelight. Sypha watched his antics with a vague sense of disapproval emanating from his cloak; growing up in the church must have given him a better idea of the dangers.

"We used to have a few around, but...Dracula killed them all a few years ago, just...just before the war. He never told me why." Even with his newfound perspective on what they were, it still stung a little. Poor Zephyrine, poor Shantelle. They had always been so eager to please. They'd comforted him after Mother had died, and had truly tried to help Father as well. And then one day Alexandrie had been nailed above the gate to die and the rest were gone.

"Huh." Grant leaned back and gave Alucard a long, considering look. "How old were you when it happened?"

"What?"

"Well, I'd expect it more if you were a daughter, but some parents are protective, I hear. Though really, seems to me that's closing the barn door when the horse always lived in the field, but no one asked me."

Alucard couldn't quite understand what Grant was implying for a moment, and when he did he wished he hadn't. He would never-! Father knew! There was no possible way that explanation made sense! "Look," he snapped out entirely too vehemently, "they looked after me as a child! They were my nursemaids! I would never, they would never-!"

Trevor was the one to break the silence after his outburst. "Uh...nursemaids?"

"They have sex, but cannot have children." Alucard took a deep breath and did his best to keep his voice calm. The initial flush of anger was faded, and he was becoming entirely too aware of how much he had shouted. "So they doted on me. It got a bit embarrassing after awhile, they always wanted to dress me up, or to play with me when I wanted to do anything else...but they were kind, in their own way." Zephyrine had always wanted to braid his hair and put it up in the most elaborate designs, crowned with some of her own pins. He wondered, sometimes, what the effect had been.

The rest of the group didn't seem to know how to respond to that. Sypha had switched from disapproval to bewilderment, and Grant managed to look everywhere but at Alucard. Even Trevor seemed a bit off-balance.

Finally he coughed and dragged their attention back to the story. "...anyway. So Leon, having sacrificed much of his virtue, walked to the great hall to confront Walter. But waiting for him there was not just Walter. Sara was there as well, but not the kind, gentle woman Leon had known. He was too late, and already Walter had bitten her. Her human heart lost, she flew to battle Leon while Walter sat back and laughed.

"The vampire Sara's attack was relentless. Leon was forced back and back, crying out all the while for her to recognize him. Leon could not bear to truly fight his beloved, and so he was forced to the floor with Sara leaning over him, fangs bared. He closed his eyes and waited for the end.

"But it never came. Seeing Leon had somehow reawoken Sara's humanity, if just for a moment. Her fingers found his dagger and plunged it deep into her own heart. Her blood flowed out and covered the whip Leon still held, granting it extraordinary power against vampires. Thus she perished, and her soul ascended to heaven."

"That whip?" Sypha asked, recovered from his confusion.

"Supposedly." Trevor held the Vampire Killer out for inspection, though it was well-familiar to all of them by now.

"It must be," Alucard said. "Such a thing could not be created twice." It was an artifact of so much power and it still sickened him to look at it and know the price paid for its creation. But better that than allowing the darkness to cover the world. That was unquestionable.

Trevor put the whip back down. "It's true there aren't many vampires left to sacrifice themselves in the name of love. So, Leon dragged himself to his feet and brandished the new Vampire Killer against Walter. They fought, and though Walter was a strong opponent, after all he had done Leon was stronger. Walter snarled at Leon as he died, saying that they were the same, and Leon could not deny it. Leon had given up his virtue, had sold his soul piecemeal to the night, all in the search of power. Though it had been for noble reasons, the result was unchanged: darkness and damnation. By different paths, Walter and Leon had arrived at the same destination. But Walter was dead.

"It was then Mathias slipped out of the shadows. He had been watching this entire time, and he was filled with fury that a human had killed his long-time friend. He attacked Leon as well, to much the same effect as Walter. But Mathias was not willing to fight to the death. When Leon got the upper hand on him, he sent a powerful, skeletal creature after Leon and ran away.

"Leon defeated the creature and left the castle in ruins. But he knew that as long as Mathias was out there he could never rest, for the vampire would eternally seek vengeance. Instead Leon hunted Mathias himself, across forest and river, across mountain and plain, until at last they met again in battle, and this time Leon did not give the vampire the chance to run away. So Mathias died, but as he died he cursed Leon. It was a true curse, and a powerful one, for Mathias was a sorcerer in his own right. The curse was thus, that not just Leon but his children, and his children's children, would never again regain all their humanity. Leon's stain would never be cleaned from the Belmont bloodline, and as long as they existed they would never be able to live among ordinary people.

"Leon accepted that destiny. And from that day onward the Belmont clan has hunted the night."

A respectful silence fell across the group, measured by the crackle of flames and the snaps of the wood. Eventually Sypha said quietly "A tragic story."

"I'm still dealing with 'succubi nursemaids' myself," Grant muttered. Alucard glared.

"It's as I said. We must live in darkness, become part of it, in order to do battle against evil. If that is what is called for, then it is not so bad, is it? And in time, humanity may yet not have to fear the night." Trevor sounded completely convinced of what he said, enough to make Sypha and Grant nod along.

It was a nice sentiment, and Alucard allowed himself to believe it for a time. "I look forward to the day."

"Well, not like we'll ever - oh right." Grant tossed another branch on the fire. "If we get graves, make an offering and tell us when it happens. I'd like to know."

"I'll just put up one gravestone for all of you, no matter where your bodies actually fell. It would save me a fair bit of effort."

That got Grant looking at him again, expression caught between anger and disbelief. "I can never tell when you're joking."

"To make it even easier, you could just make it your own gravestone. We can all share the same coffin," Sypha said, voice so level and dead Alucard couldn't tell if he was joking either.

"Resting together may not be such a terrible fate," Trevor said. "I certainly could not ask for a better set of companions."

"You make everything sound so noble," Grant said, just light enough to hide any hint of bitterness. "Though, I suppose there are worse fates in the world. Alucard, you'd damn well better be regularly spilling wine over my grave. I'll haunt you if you forget!"

"You're going to threaten me with ghosts?"

Grant considered that for a moment, then dropped his head to his hands. "...right. Of course. _Of course_."

"Don't tell me- what could they even-" Sypha stumbled off in confusion. From his expression, Trevor seemed to agree. It was like they didn't have any real experience with ghosts.

"They were pets, just like the bats. Flying around, catching insects, always wanting to be played with...like that." Saying that now, outside the castle and in human company, Alucard realised how unnatural that sounded. He finished a bit lamely "They're cute, once you know them." They had little claws and would nudge up against him so gently, scratching at his cheek with their tiny bones. They had to be smashed now, of course, they were dangers to humanity. Alucard just wished, sometimes, he could take one with him. Perhaps it was more proof of the curse in his blood, but he missed the castle as it was, before everything had gone wrong.

Sypha dropped back into himself. "What a pleasant childhood," he said, something dark in his words.

"I'm almost jealous," Trevor said, and he sounded like he meant it. He settled back on his hands, looking quietly satisfied. "I admit, this wasn't the reaction I expected to that story. But it is a good one, all the same."

The mood did seem a bit more relaxed, against all odds. Grant was comfortable in any situation, but Alucard had felt the tension between himself and Sypha slack, if only for a few moments. The line of Sypha's hood seemed to say that he had noticed as well, and wasn't too sure how to feel about it. If he were entirely honest with himself, Alucard wasn't either.

"Alucard." Trevor was talking again, and Alucard shook himself out of his thoughts to pay attention. "Did Dracula know about Walter and Mathias, about the Belmonts? Did he mention them to you?"

"No," Alucard said, keeping his voice flat. Trevor accepted this and shifted the conversation again, leaving Alucard feeling guilty for the lie. But the truth was not - never would be - his to tell.

* * *

Author's note 07/25/2015: For those of you actually following this (who are you people?), I have an announcement. Thanks to sudden, unavoidable personal circumstances, I will very likely be away from my computer next Saturday. I will do my best to get everything ready so I can update with my cell phone, but there are going to be a lot of demands on my time this week and I can't make any promises. I will endeavor to have it up by next Sunday or Monday. The schedule isn't going to slip that far, don't worry.


	4. Dracula

AN: Unavoidable circumstances got pushed off to next week, so this is going up on schedule.

* * *

Rain pounded against the tower walls and slipped in the empty windows, driven by howling winds. Not even the winged skeletons wanted to fly in this kind of weather, so they perched inside and cracked their weary bones, chattering and grinding out skeleton's complaints. Occasionally a certain axe knight's roar came echoing up the tower, accompanied by skeletal cackling - he never had been good at dicing.

Adrian curled deeper in the musty blanket he had wrapped around himself and crept a tiny bit closer to the nest. The mother blue crow tolerated his presence, enough for him to peek around the stored clockwork gears and see the tiny crows cheeping for their mother's attention, little beaks opening and closing madly. He rested against the gears and watched them, lulled by the rain.

He wasn't sure how long he was there, watching and dozing in equal measure, before a sharp, bony hand on his shoulder shook him out of his trance. Adrian jerked and banged his head on the gears, the thump loud enough to make the mother crow caw at him in annoyance. He rubbed his aching head and glared at the winged skeleton who had startled him. The skeleton just shrugged its shoulders in laconic apology and pointed downwards with its spear, which Adrian followed to see Father at the bottom of the tower, looking upward at him.

"So there you are," Father said. "I assume your studies are finished?"

"Yes, of course! Just, wait a moment-" Adrian scrambled down the ledges, jumping from one to the other like a goat and not disturbing a single skeleton. That didn't stop the one that had disturbed him from hovering directly behind him, as if he would slip and fall at any moment. Even if he did, he could fly. It was reassuring to know the creatures took their duties seriously, but it chafed.

Especially when he landed in front of Father and it took the opportunity to adjust his clothes and smooth out his hair.

Father ignored his fidgeting under the skeleton's claws until it was done and had stepped back, then fixed Adrian with a cool look. "If you're here, I assume you have finished your studies for the day."

"ἄνδρα μοι ἔννεπε, μοῦσα, πολύτροπον, ὃς μάλα πολλὰ πλάγχθη, ἐπεὶ Τροίης ἱερὸν πτολίεθρον ἔπερσεν: πολλῶν δ᾽ ἀνθρώπων ἴδεν ἄστεα καὶ νόον ἔγνω, πολλὰ δ᾽ ὅ γ᾽ ἐν πόντῳ πάθεν ἄλγεα ὃν κατὰ θυμόν, 5ἀρνύμενος ἥν τε ψυχὴν καὶ νόστον ἑταίρων!" Adrian recited proudly. He'd been sure to memorize it before leaving the library that evening, and had been secretly hoping Mother or Father would ask.

"Which means?"

"Ah..." He'd worked out a translation that had at least seemed correct, if he could just remember... "The man talks to me, turning a lot, who hit lots of bad things, then he wasted a holy thing from Troy's city?"

The temperature in the tower dropped a few degrees. The skeletons and the axe knight shuffled away, sensing their master's disapproval. "Tell me, Muse, of that man of many resources, who suffered very many things, after he sacked the holy citadel of Troy," Father corrected icily. "Have you been dreaming when you should have been learning? I certainly hope your Latin is better than your Greek!"

"S-sorry Father! I'll study harder!" He'd tried! Maybe he had gone a little fast, and mistaken some of the words, but Marpessa the student witch had just learned how to fly and he'd promised to meet her in the garden and watch her show off. After that he couldn't just keep her waiting. It was all very understandable!

Father sighed. "I'll stop by the library tomorrow and check on your progress. If you're sneaking off or dreaming..." He let the threat hang in the air, unspoken. "It's important that you be careful and don't rush, do you understand, my son? This is your duty, to learn so that you will be able to bear your future responsibilities. I _don't_ want to see this happening again."

"Yes, Father."

"Good." Scolding finished, Father relaxed a bit. "Now, do you know where your mother is?"

"Ah...something came up between the witches and the small demons, and she got called in to help mediate." Adrian wasn't entirely sure what had happened this time, Marpessa's explanation had been hasty and mostly consisted of bad names for imps and ukobacks, but he got the impression something important had been set on fire. It would all get sorted out with Mother's help either way. There wasn't a creature in the castle that didn't love and listen to her.

"She doesn't have to do that... She works herself too hard." Father said to himself, looking a bit displeased. He shook his head and spoke to Adrian. "She really is too kind, even to the damned."

Adrian shrugged. "Mother said she didn't mind." 'We must always try to help people, no matter who they are,' she often said.

"If she wishes to listen to Helene and Pruflas snipe at each other, then I suppose she can. In the meantime, she asked me to create more medicine for that sick girl in the village." Irina, her name was. A sweet little girl who helped with her family's sheep and sometimes played with Adrian; she had gotten sick suddenly and even all of Mother's knowledge wasn't enough to break her fever or reduce the sticky mucus from her lungs. But with alchemy... "A thankless task, but as it was asked of me...do you want to help?"

"Of course!"

"Then come along," Father said, and walked away. Adrian scampered after him, and together they made their way through the chapel with the stained glass and flitting ghosts, through the pillared main hall where the bats swirled around them in cheerful greeting until one had to be untangled from Adrian's hair, finally to the laboratory where Father practised his alchemical arts.

The castle had felt Father's desire and had already brought out a plain, sturdy table filled with tools and supplies, along with the ancient book of alchemy. A pair of skeletons was in the process of straightening it out, and they quickly bowed and shuffled away at Father's approach. Adrian followed along and peeked around Father's arm as he gently paged through the book. It was a fragile thing, the binding undone and the pages cracked and torn, but the knowledge contained within was among the most precious in the world.

Father found the page he was looking for and read it carefully. Adrian could make out a few words - his Latin was better than his Greek, but whoever had written the page had not been a careful scripter - just enough to nod along when Father pushed the book away and said "Get the galtite and melt a thimbleful's worth into a bowl. Keep it hot over the fire until I've combined the angel's halo and holy man's vein. Understand? Good." He assembled his ingredients while Adrian got the galtite and blaze candle, along with a stool to sit on.

Galtite melted easily, layer over layer sliding away as Adrian rotated it slowly over the cool green flame that burned hot enough to destroy stone. He tried to get every drip in the bowl, but a few slipped away and joined the other mysterious bumps and stains that adorned the table's surface. He breathed a quiet thanks it was enchanted not to burn.

Soon there was enough galtite in the bowl and all Adrian had to do was make sure it didn't solidify again. He propped his chin on his free hand and watched Father work, grinding and mixing the solidified holy blood and cursing when a careless touch burned a dark gash in the mixture. Something occurred to Adrian, and he was almost surprised he hadn't thought to ask before. "Father, where did you get that book?"

"The book of alchemy? From my father, who helped his own parents write it down. Originally it was all just passed down by word of mouth, because they were afraid of being found out. Hand me the bowl." He plucked the melted galtite out of Adrian's hand and poured it all over the holy mixture, carefully swirling it clockwise to make sure it bound together.

"Oh. Where is he?" Adrian knew his mother's parents, they lived in Rovas. They visited fairly often, and Grandmother would sneak him little cakes behind Mother's back. But before this, he'd never heard Father mention any sort of parents.

Father glanced up, his gaze flat. "Dead. Both of them." He settled his hands on both sides of the mixture and called forth a sigil that glowed with an eerie light.

"I'm sorry. Did hunters get them?" Grandfather had been a vampire hunter in his younger days, but Mother assured Adrian he wouldn't hurt him or Father.

"What? Hunters?" Father stared with close to open confusion. "Do you believe them vampires?"

"They weren't? But then how are you...?"

"I... That is a long story." Father looked back at the mixture, now bubbling merrily away. "But perhaps it is time you knew. This will take a long time to finish in any case." He looked to a wall and the pair of skeletons scurried in again, now carrying chairs and a platter with bloodied wine, bread, and cheese. Father settled into his chair and fixed Adrian with a hard look. "I'll tell you this: it is not a happy story. But it is a valuable one."

Adrian nodded, a nervous twist curling around his spine. He'd hardly ever seen Father so grave. It felt somehow dangerous. He grabbed a goblet of wine for something to hold and listened closely as Father began.

"I suppose I will start at the very beginning. I was born almost 400 years ago, in 1062, to an ancient family of alchemists. Back then...I was called Mathias. Mathias Cronqvist. I studied both war and alchemy under my parents, and in time when my father died I took his place as lord of those lands."

"What lands?" Adrian asked.

"I've...forgotten. It was in the Roman Empire in the west, by the river Rhine, but...I cannot recall the name." Father took a long sip of wine, looking pensive. "It was a lovely land, filled with hills and forests. Elisabetha and I would often ride out along that great river and listen to its roar... Oh, yes. She was my wife, then."

Adrian's thoughts immediately stopped. Wife? Father had been married before? It made a certain amount of sense, once the initial surprise faded - Father had just said he was old, people often remarried, but - It just felt wrong in a way he couldn't quite get a handle on.

He gulped down some of the wine to cover his expression - soft and brown, rich and dark, long days - fresh pig, and it softened the bitter wine nicely.

His efforts hadn't been fast enough to fool Father, who just looked amused. "What is it? Yes, your mother is my second wife. Elisabetha is - she is long dead. Nothing more than a sweet memory. ...I remember she was beautiful and kind...but I couldn't tell you what she looked like, now. Her face has blurred beyond all recognition, not even the echo of a voice..." Father trailed off, lost in memories, then shook himself out of it. "Time is cruel, my son. You might not understand it yet, but this long life of ours is a curse. A terrible curse."

Adrian frowned. Was he really going to forget Mother, Marpessa, Luca and Jakob, and all the rest? It didn't seem possible. He forgot bits of alchemy, the proper way to decline nouns in Latin, but not people's faces, not what they had done together. Not his friends. Not Mother. "I'm not going to forget anyone!"

"I thought that once," Father said, still with the distant look in his eyes. "Then one day I woke up and realised everything important had slipped away." He took another sip of wine. "That's why I insisted on those portraits. I won't fall into the same trap twice. And you'll get to reap the benefits as well.

"In any case. Elisabetha was of another alchemist family, and her father wanted access to the Cronqvist books. My father in turn wanted their knowledge of potions and salves, and so we were arranged to be wed. In time we found each other to be to our liking, and swore our hearts to the other. Both our families benefited from the union, and together we practised new forms of alchemy, new tricks to push forward the edges of our progress. A few recipes were even recorded in this book here - you may have seen them. Try to pick out which ones, sometime.

"At that time I had a friend as well. Leon Belmont was my junior by a decade, and in many ways he was a brother to me. I never managed to teach him how to read more than a few lines and writing was always beyond him, but in all my years I have not met a greater fighter. With my strategies and his skills, we never lost a battle. They called us invincible.

"The Belmont family had little money to maintain their position - Leon's father had a copious appetite for wine and games - enough that he was forced to pledge to marry a merchant's daughter in hopes of being able to keep his own lands. Still, he liked her well enough. They...might have made a good couple. She and Elisabetha got along well, I remember.

"And so we all happily passed the days together."

"What was the girl's name? Leon's betrothed?" Adrian asked as soon as Father paused.

"Oh, her name? It started with an S... Sascha? Seraphina? No, just Sara. Sara, I believe. I never had much contact with her, really. Still, those were happy times.

"And then the Pope called for a crusade. A grand war in God's name, to get all these bothersome knights and emperors safely out of his domain and snapping at the Turks instead. And if Christian men starved alone and far from home, what of it? A bloated, heat-festered corpse was no threat to him! It bought him favours with those ungrateful Greeks, for all the good that did him! Deus vult? _Deus vult_?! To hell with God's will! If He wished the holy land freed, He could have cleared out all that heathen filth in a moment! What was the purpose? It was all simply an illusion, a beautiful monument to a rotted Church, a -"

Father was suddenly standing, both hands planted on the table, eyes wide with a strange mad fury. His shoulders shook, fingers clawed deep enough to scratch the enchanted table, fangs fully bared in a hateful snarl. Adrian had never seen him like this. It didn't seem real, that his quiet, scholarly father could look like that, could snap out words like he wished he was snapping necks, could -

Adrian shoved himself back on pure instinct, forgetting how he'd wrapped a foot around one of the stool legs until he went over backwards in a tangle of limbs. His head hit the stone floor with a solid crack and he laid there dazed, all the wind knocked out of him. That couldn't have been Father, could it?

"Adrian!" Hands were on him, hauling him to his feet. Adrian rubbed at his head, feeling a little woozy after all the crashing. Father patted at his head, the terrifying fury gone as quickly as it had arrived. He looked like ordinary Father again, nothing but concern in his eyes. It was eerie, and Adrian shook himself free as soon as he could. His heart still felt shaky in his chest.

"Forgive me. I didn't meant to frighten you, Adrian. It's all right now. Here, have more wine. It's all right now, I won't shout any more." Father looked and sounded genuinely apologetic as he helped Adrian back onto his stool and handed him the wine. Adrian gulped it down in his nervousness, and grabbed some of the bread and cheese to stuff into his mouth as well. It helped, a little, the wine spreading warmth through his body and slowly settling his rapid pulse.

Father walked back to his chair and sat down heavily. Now that he wasn't angry he just sounded tired as he said, "Real war is a terrible thing, my son. I knew campaigning, I knew suffering - but even now the walls of Antioch are burned into my mind. We had no food, no chance of relief - we ate our horses, our boots...our enemies.

"Leon didn't. I remember that. He walked away. I was desperate enough to try the soup, I hoped it would cover what it really was, but then I remembered Elisabetha and joined him. We curled around our empty stomachs together and wished to be home."

Adrian paused in his chewing the bread and quickly washed it down to ask, "What's wrong with eating people?" He added, when all Father could do was look shocked, "We do it, don't we? We feed on people every week."

Father didn't seem to know what to say to that. "We are vampires, and...special. It's not the same for ordinary people." He seemed to be casting about for something else to say and finally came up with, "After all, Lisa doesn't drink blood, does she? And none of us eat flesh. That's because it is forbidden."

Adrian considered this. "But Mother takes communion every Sunday at Mass. That's blood and body, isn't it?"

"Not...in that sense," Father winced. "The wine and host certainly become the blood and body of Christ in essence, but their outward appearance remains unchanged, and Christ is not harmed by it. The method by which that occurs is a mystery to be contemplated, like the Trinity. It is not like carving up a man because you are starving for the slightest meal. Ask...ask the priest in Rovas when you go there next. He will explain it better than I."

"All right," Adrian agreed, though privately he decided to ask Mother instead of Father Nikolai. He didn't want to talk to Father Nikolai more than he absolutely had to.

After settling himself again, Father continued. "Leon and I were in Antioch, but we never made it to Jerusalem. After that seige we were forced to turn back, out of supplies, out of funds. The others continued onward, and I hear they did take Jerusalem - for all the good it did them. Leon swore to return and finish his duty, but all I wished for then was to see Elisabetha again and leave all the blood and dust behind me.

"When I returned home, I found her dead.

"She had always been a bit sickly. If it had not been for her family's potions, she likely wouldn't have made it past childhood. Disease would often settle in her lungs, leaving her coughing and dazed for days at a time, but- but... She had always come through before! Always before, the potions had worked! But when I left her side, when I left to fight for the God we both loved so dearly - only _then_ did she fall! No one could give me a proper explanation, though Sara claimed to have been with her every moment! If she really had been at Elisabetha's side, why could she not give her the potion? Or did it come on too suddenly, a merciless attack from a cruel God?"

For a moment, Father's voice rose to nearly a shout and the former fury glinted in his eyes again. But then he pulled himself back with obvious effort and bowed his head, breathing slowly.

Adrian kept a careful eye on him, his heart starting to pound again in his chest. Underneath the unease was a vague sense of unfairness - Father was getting so worked up over a woman so long dead, when Mother was right there. He didn't really understand it. He felt sorry for Father, for having suffered so badly in the Crusades and coming home just to find this Elisabetha dead, but it was so long ago. Weren't things better _now_?

Father raised his head and drank more of the wine, enough that when he put the goblet down a skeleton shuffled out to refill both their cups. Once the skeleton had retreated yet again, Father continued, voice a little rough.

"Humph. So, my Elisabetha was dead and long since buried. Leon claimed sympathy, but was only too happy to spend his time dancing attendance on Sara. He didn't go back to his crusade, but kept fighting around both our lands. I...I could not think beyond my grief. I sank into a deep melancholy, too great to even consider rising from my bed. What was the point of study, of battle, of prayer, when all it had gotten me was a cold grave where once there was a living woman? There seemed no point in work, no result to any effort. Better to simply lie down and dream the days away.

"But I could not be purposeless forever. Thoughts still wandered across my mind, despite all effort to resist them and sleep. If all things were God's will, then so was Elisabetha's death. But he would not allow me to simply end it all and see her again, under the pain of eternal separation and torment. But this wasting - was this not also a form of suicide? Then I was damned no matter what I did, for I could not return to war in the name of the God that had taken her away. And if I were damned...

"The Conqvist family had two treasures. The first was well-known in the right circles: a book containing the true and accurate secrets of alchemy. The other...was the Crimson Stone. Part of a set, it and its twin, the Ebony Stone, had been created in a failed attempt at the Philosopher's Stone. Instead of bringing wisdom and riches to the creator, they brought power to vampires. The Ebony Stone brought eternal night - the Crimson Stone the power of domination. Yes, that's what this does. Do you want to see?" Father took off his ever-present necklace with the sparkling red gem in the centre and held it out for the taking.

Adrian took it with a mumbled line of appreciation, not entirely sure what he was supposed to do. He squinted, trying to sense the least amount of magic from it and failing. It was just a pretty rock. To be sure, it was no type of stone he recognized, and it had a lovely marbled sheen to it, but still. Father might as well have worn a rock he picked up along the side of the road.

Father seemed to notice his lack of enthusiasm and explained "It's hollow now, for I have mastered it completely and taken its power into myself. That's how you might have it without use of the Stone, understand? Its power is in your own blood. The secret of its creation was lost, sadly enough. It would be good knowledge, if needing to be carefully controlled.

"But for me, at that time, it was power - though at a price. Both it and the its twin contained within them the vampire's curse. Normally easy to shun, then it tempted me. An eternal life as one of God's enemies...a being blasphemous in its very existence...I could never see Elisabetha again, no matter what I did. Then instead I would take this opportunity, and gain an unlimited life to curse God forevermore!"

"Mother says we're not enemies of God!" Adrian interrupted before he realised it. "Christ died for all of us, born in darkness or not. He rescued the righteous from hell. So...so you should not speak like that. Mother wouldn't like it."

Father sighed and just looked tired again. "Yes, she does say that. Your mother is an extraordinarily kind and forgiving woman. But that was how I felt then, before I knew her.

"The Stone would be useless without the soul of a vampire to power it. Fortunately, there was a vampire nearby, and a powerful one, the master of the Ebony Stone - but in my bedridden state I could not hope to defeat him in a fair fight." He hesitated, as if he were unsure how how to continue. "It was then that fate intervened.

"The vampire that lived nearby...whatever his name was, was bored of his eternal life."

"You can't remember his name?" Adrian asked.

Father closed his eyes in thought before shaking his head. "Completely forgotten. Ah well, _his_ name was not worth remembering in any case."

"Thomas!"

"Thomas? What?"

"If you can't remember his name, just call him Thomas. It's a good name." Adrian had just grabbed the name out of the air, but it was a nice, solid name. And if Yomi's Old Thomas had recently thrown him off the apple tree he wasn't even picking from - well, that had nothing to do with it.

Father shrugged. "Very well. Thomas passed his time not in study or any other useful pursuit, but in stealing the loved ones of the people nearby. He would force them to run through the castle with the promise of their lover or child's safe return, but it was all a lie. He would bite the victim, and usually force the two unlucky ones to fight to the death. Even if the one still human survived, they could not hope to stand against Thomas' power. So did all around him live in fear. And on that night, he chose Sara to be his latest victim.

"Of course, Leon did everything he could. He tried to muster his men to assault the castle, but Sara's family was not from the area. Her father did not believe in the story of a vampire, and, assuming his daughter had run away or been killed, withdrew his money. Without his support, Leon was forced to sell his sword, his armour, and the rest of his horses just to satisfy his creditors enough to keep his manor. He could not hope to outfit men enough to break open Thomas' den."

Adrian frowned. "You couldn't help him? Didn't you have any money?"

"Ah, well...I found out about Leon's dire straits later. He would only ever show a cheerful face to me, and swore to the end he had a full company of armed men. All I could do was lie back and await his success. For I had no doubt that if anyone could defeat Thomas, it would be Leon.

"After that I do not know exactly what happened. I know Leon went to the castle with not even a sword. I know he met Rinaldo at the gates - an alchemist, old friend of my father, who had been forced to play Thomas' game in the past - and he gave Leon a whip made with alchemy that could hurt the creatures of darkness. With Rinaldo's help, Leon was able to fight his way through the castle. I know not what creatures he specifically faced, though...I believe Medusa did mention fighting him, once. So. At one point in the castle, Leon fought Medusa, and was victorious.

"Finally he faced off against Thomas himself - and lost, of course. Even a magical whip could not stand against such an ancient vampire lord. But Thomas returned Sara and Leon left, thinking himself triumphant."

"But she was bitten?" Adrian privately wondered what that even felt like. Mother swore it didn't hurt, but he always worried a bit.

"Yes. Even as they left the castle behind, Sara was starting to turn into a vampire. Not wanting to truly become one of the undead -"

Adrian broke in. "Why not?"

"Eh?" Father looked a little confused again.

"Why didn't she want to become a vampire? It's not so bad, and if she was a vampire, she would be able to help Leon beat Thomas!" He settled back and drummed his heels against the legs of the stool, satisfied with his logic.

Father paused like he was trying to think of what to say again. "It's unlikely she would have been able to defeat Thomas, even with Leon's help. Remember, he had the Ebony Stone, and the night loved him above all. As a newly-made vampire, Sara would never have stood a chance. Besides, she was not much for fighting in the first place.

"And...they all believed vampirism to be a curse that would destroy one's human heart. She likely believed that once the curse took hold, she would not be herself any more."

"But that's not true, is it? You did it! And so did I."

"Hahah, your circumstances are special, my son. As for myself...perhaps those too were special circumstances. What would have happened to Sara had she given in to the curse is unknowable. All I can say is what did happen, that she feared becoming a vampire, enough to die. So Rinaldo proposed a plan, a way for Sara to die as a human, as she wished, and use the curse of the vampire within her to give the whip enough strength to overcome Thomas' power. He knew the spell that would allow this, and both Leon and Sara agreed.

"As soon spoken as done. Sara died, and the whip became a weapon of power against vampires."

Adrian frowned. It just didn't seem right. "Couldn't you have done something?"

Father shook his head. "I was far away, and barely able to rise from my bed. There was nothing I could have done. Indeed, for all I knew Sara was safe and sound."

"But..." He knew that sometimes there was just nothing that could be done and it was easier just to let a person rest, but all of this just felt wrong. He couldn't understand why someone wouldn't take the option to live. "She should've just become a vampire. What's the point in dying like that?"

"That's for her to answer. She died and achieved heaven. What more could one ask?" Father's distant look was back, just for a moment. "But with her death, there existed a weapon to kill Thomas once and for all.

"So Leon went to challenge Thomas again. This time, he destroyed the Ebony Stone, and without its power, Thomas soon fell to Leon's strength. And that...was my victory."

"Wait, then was there something you could do? Why didn't you do it earlier?" Had...had Father let all that happen? The idea was at the very edges of possibility. Father was intelligent and cunning, true, but after what happened to Sara the idea of victory seemed - cruel. Still...

Father replied smoothly "I could only do it then, after Walter was defeated. Before then I was truely bedridden, incapable of knowing what had befallen Leon. But I had faith in him, absolute faith that no matter what trials he faced, Leon could overcome them."

Adrian wasn't entirely sure how much he could believe that, but when had Father ever lied? But what faith could Father have had, knowing what he did then? He chewed on more of the bread to help quell the miserable uncertainty in his stomach. This really wasn't a happy story at all.

"When Thomas fell, Death was there to take his soul. And when he did, he granted it to me. By the power of the Crimson Stone I became a vampire, one with all the strength of Thomas and the ability to gain more. My weakness fell away, as if the previous year had never happened. I - well, you know what it is to be a vampire, if not what it's like to go from a frail and weakened human to one. Suffice to say, I was restored.

"Leon...was surprised to see me. I had never even told him about alchemy, too afraid he would reject it as complete blasphemy, as most did in those days. He had known nothing of the Crimson Stone. I explained it all to him and - I'd hoped he would understand. But that was not to be. Now...now I cannot blame him for it."

"He didn't understand what? Becoming a vampire?" The uncertainty still roiling in him added a cool 'or how Father knew of all of that had happened'. Adrian firmly told it to be quiet and turned back to the story. "He wanted you to die, then? Like Sara?"

"...something like that. I offered to let him come with me, so we would not be alone in eternity, and he refused. Completely. He was angry with me, furious, and said this was never what Elisabetha would have wanted. We snapped at each other, and with the Eternal Night coming to an end, I felt the need to take my leave...he would have killed me if I'd stayed, and I had no desire to fight then.

"I turned into a bat - hah, you would have been ashamed of my flying, I could barely tell up from down - and winged my way out of there. ...immediately I got entangled in a tree, fell to the ground, and spent the day hiding under a bush. It was purest luck that Leon did not pursue me. I stumbled out at true nightfall and wondered where to go."

"You didn't know how to fly?" Adrian crinkled his nose. How could anyone not know how to fly? It was as natural for a bat as running for a wolf.

"I have taught you very carefully. Be glad of it," Father said dryly, though it was softened by the smallest flash of an amused smile, gone before he continued.

"It was then, standing by the ruins of Thomas' castle, that I started to realise it. I had achieved my goal. I was a cursed, immortal creature - with nothing to live for. I had life eternal, but Elisabetha was still dead.

"I had few possessions, just the book of alchemy and my old sword. I could not return home, but I had no-where I wished to be. Lacking all other options, I turned east. I had the idea I could go to Constantinople, study the works of the ancient philosophers...but as I travelled I felt a - a sickness in me. A memory of hunger that could not be satisfied, misery and a strange sense of guilt... I forced myself in sight of the gates of Constantinople and stopped in the middle of the road, unable to move my feet a step further." Father turned his wine aimlessly in his hand. The distant look was back in his eyes. Adrian wanted to say something useful, something comforting, but all he could think of was wishing that he could've had the chance to see Constantinople before the Turks ravaged it, and that didn't seem to suit.

He said nothing, and Father kept on. "In the end I detoured. I crossed the Black Sea and hied to the north of the Caspian, and in time reached an endless plain of grass and dust, swiftly travelled as a wolf. I went further and further east, hoping every step to find some reason to continue, some way to break my ties with the past. I went all the way to a great eastern ocean at the end of the world - and farther, to lands called the birthplace of the sun. I saw many new places, met myriads of strange people, and found no peace. Death was my only companion. Other vampires would attack me for possession of the Crimson Stone, they would fall, and I would gain more power. Days, months, decades...centuries passed thus.

"Finally I came here, as close to home as I could bring myself to come, and built this castle out of pure chaotic magic. I ruled over the night, only sustained by ritual and duty. After everything I had done, after losing the last person I cared about...I was in the same place I had been after coming home from the Crusade.

"Until I met a sweet young woman in the forest, of course. And you know the rest of that story." The distant look slipped out of Father's eyes as if it had never been, and he raised his glass to Adrian with a look of bitter amusement.

"Mother!" Adrian burst out, and realised with an awkward rush he had sounded entirely too happy after that story. "I...well...you don't sound happy about all - any of this, Father," he said more quietly, eyes cast down.

"Happy..." Father said as if he had never considered the question before. "I am happy now. Life is a series of trials, and all I did was extend mine. But I have Lisa, and I have you, and I believe I can be satisfied with that. Elisabetha and I...we had children, but none that lived. Only one, a beautiful little girl, ever even learned to walk. We had such hopes for her...but when she was barely five years she caught the pox, and there was nothing we could do to save her." Father sipped at his drink, quiet again, before he let out a burst of sudden, smothered laughter. "But you cannot get sick! Be glad of that, my son. My most useful gift to you!"

"I appreciate it," Adrian said, and he did. He'd watched Mother try to save every coughing child, every fevered infant, and failed more often than not, even with all her skills. A cold body was more than worth the price.

He wondered about this other child - if she'd lived, she'd be his sister. What would that have been like? Would she be kind but aloof, like the witch Clymene, or smothering and overbearing like Zephyrine the succubus? But she would've been a full vampire - he couldn't picture Father leaving her behind - and equal to Adrian in rank, so it wouldn't really be like Clymene or Zephyrine...would it?

He bit at his lip, avoiding his fangs by habit. "Father...what was she like? Your daughter, I mean. What was her name?"

"Curious about your half-sister?" Of course Father grasped the intent at once. He closed his eyes, obviously trying to dredge up something from long-neglected memory. "I barely remember what she was like...a happy child, I believe. She - I think it was her - especially loved birds. She'd watch them for hours, like a cat. Her name...what was her name." He frowned. "Sophia? Yes, I think so. Sophia, for wisdom."

"Oh." Birds...she would have gotten along well with the Owl Knights. Adrian felt, abstractedly, that it was too bad - but that was what happened to children. You lived or you didn't.

"It was all long, long ago in any case. All of this, all of them...they belong to the past. Not here and now," Father said. He sighed. "...I committed terrible sins to get here. That is not a thing that can be erased. But without them, you would not exist and Lisa...who knows what would have happened to her."

Adrian kicked his legs, trying to think of some useful or comforting remark. "Father Johann used to say that sin is a mistake humans cannot help but fall into, except by the grace of God." He felt very adult to say it, for all the words were not his own.

"For we all bear the sin of Adam on our backs," Father said, and Adrian had the feeling he was quoting as well - quoting something he didn't entirely believe. "And so humanity will ever choose to fall."

Adrian wasn't entirely sure Father Johann or especially Mother would agree to that. "Well...as long as you don't repeat it, it may be all right. After all," he said, brightening a bit, "you have Mother and me here, now."

"So I do," Father agreed, his tone quietly reserved. He looked over at the mixed potion, long since finished. "Speaking of your mother, her medicine is ready. She may take it to that village at any time." He made to pour it into a bottle for safe travelling, only to be pre-empted by one of the skeletons and forced to settle back, looking slightly irritated.

"Good," Adrian said. He hoped Irina got better soon, he missed talking with her.

"She'll probably want to leave first thing in the morning - if you finish things up with Blademaster Kuan Sheng tonight to his satisfaction then you may go with her," Father said. "Just be sure to get back early enough to meet with the Librarian," he added, fixing Adrian with a hard look.

"Yes, Father," Adrian said, internally torn. Kuan Sheng would work him to the bone, and leaving first thing in the morning meant he'd barely have time to lie down, with the only thing waiting for him on return being more Greek, this time under Father's watchful eye. He'd be paying for that for days. Normally going to any of the surrounding villages with Mother would be worth it, but not Rovas.

It was all Father Nikolai's fault. This had never been a problem with kindly old Father Johann, with his shiny bald head and slow, soft voice. Father Johann had been from an old family of the area, and he understood. The vampires would take the criminals and the bandits and leave the humans alone, and in return the humans gave up their criminals and left the monsters alone. It had worked perfectly - until Father Johann had died and Father Nikolai had taken his place. He wasn't from any of the villages, Adrian thought with some resentment. He was a refugee from Constantinople!

Now people gave him unfriendly looks in the street, no child but Irina and Luka would talk to him, and even Aunt Zoe, Mother's best friend, snapped at them with fear in her eyes when they come to visit. Mother said that they must endure it and prove themselves like the saints of old, but Adrian knew he'd never be a saint. He'd rather stay at the castle, with the witches and skeletons, then try to understand his humanity or whatever Mother wanted him to do. Not that he'd ever tell her that, of course.

"You don't sound as enthused as usual," Father said, breaking Adrian out of his thoughts with an unpleasant jerk. He looked amused at Adrian's stricken expression. "Did you have a fight with one of your little human friends?"

Adrian's fang dug into his lip. He wanted to explain everything, no matter what Mother thought. 'Your father will just be upset. He'll do something drastic, and it won't help at all. We must simply endure this,' she had said. Even an hour ago Adrian wouldn't have thought such a thing could happen, but after hearing Father's story, seeing that rage - maybe he _would_ do something drastic. Something terrible. But he didn't want to lie to Father.

"It's - I don't like the new priest, Father Nikolai," he said, risking as much as he could. "He's not kind like Father Johann was, and he just - he likes to hear himself speak, I think."

"Mmm," Father said. "Well, it is a sad truth that many priests have heard not the call of righteousness, but the call of power. Let him enjoy his petty games. They won't be able to touch us here." Father returned his attention to the book of alchemy, which he had been perusing, and said half to himself, "Perhaps I should make extra salves as well. They are always hurting themselves, after all."

Adrian hoped Father was right about Father Nikolai. Before he could offer his opinion on making more salves - it seemed a good idea to him - there was the patter of running feet combined with a rough, bouncing scraping sound and Marpessa skidded into the small laboratory room, fiery hair flying around her head and skirt bumped up above one knobby knee. She smoothed both in the same motion as she dipped into a deep bow, so fast Adrian got the barest glimpse of her face. Her broom stuck up correctly but inelegantly from the crook of her elbow.

"Lord Dracula, the Lady Lisa, Witch Helene, and Devil Pruflas request your presence in the Iris Room of the inner quarters at once, if it pleases you," she said, obviously trying not to pant for breath. She must've sprinted the entire way.

Father pushed himself up with an air of resigned irritation. "Refused to listen to sense, did they? Then I will have to step in after all." He closed the book of alchemy with a snap and the skeletons ran to tidy up the table. "Adrian, go to Blademaster Kuan Sheng and don't slip off again. And you make sure he goes, little witch."

"Yes, my lord!" Marpessa said without looking up.

"Yes, Father," Adrian said, scrambling off the stool before he was lifted off by the skeletons. Time for more bruises - Kuan Sheng was an unrelenting master, but there was no one more skilled with the sword in the castle. Possibly the world.

Before he left, though, he found he had one more nagging question. "Father? May I ask a question?"

"Yes?" Father replied, looking over his shoulder. He was already halfway to the door. "Make it quick, we both have duties to attend to."

"What happened to Leon, after you left?"

"I cannot say, I never saw him again," Father tilted his head, considering. "Perhaps he was able to take over my lands and finally get out of debt. I should think - hope that he destroyed the whip. But he is dead now, in any case." With that he swept out the door, the past dispensed with, the present calling.

Once he was safely gone Marpessa straightened up and rubbed at her back. "So what have you been up to, if you've been skiving off on your lessons?" she asked Adrian.

"You saw what, I was helping my father," he answered archly. They walked together down the polished marble hallway, feet soundless on the cool stone. A faint clicking to the left betrayed Stolas as he paced up and down, beak clacking soft theories of magic only he could hear. "We were doing very important work."

"That so." Marpessa sounded sceptical, but accepted it. "Is this more medicine for that village? When are you going to let me come along? The Mistress said I could."

"Ah..." Mother had been talking about letting some of the most human castle residents come with them to Rovas, something about bridging gaps and bringing people together in the light of brotherhood, but Adrian didn't want Marpessa to experience the coldness they'd been getting lately. For one thing, she knew how to throw fireballs and wasn't shy about using them. "It's not fun at all, just a bunch of humans and their houses. You'd be bored."

"You just want to keep it all to yourself! Fine, I'll just stay here and actually attend my lessons." Marpessa humped and trotted ahead, but only as far as the statue of Nike before slowing and letting Adrian catch up again. The bats clustered in the ceiling chirped at them in recognition or amusement, which they ignored with as much dignity as they could muster.

They were nearly to the great hall, colder and emptier than the warm halls of the alchemy laboratory, when Marpessa spoke again in a clear attempt to restart the conversation. "What were you talking about with the Master back there? Who's Leon, and why would he destroy a whip?"

Adrian considered telling her the full story, but dismissed the idea almost instantly. It was Father's story, not for him to repeat. Finally he shrugged in a way he hoped conveyed something boring and inconsequential. "He was just telling me a story."

* * *

AN:

I got the idea for this a little after finishing Shield of the Patriots, after reading one too many Sorrow-era fics where Julius knows EXACTLY what happened with Leon. It doesn't work that way! I realise why it happens, of course, because someone needs to info-dump at Soma and we know how Arikado info-dumps (he doesn't). But the idea of the other way, with imperfect retellings getting some details right, but not all...I was intrigued. So I wrote this.

I wrote it in a bit of an unusual way, I'm usually a very linear writer. Start at the beginning, keep chugging to the end. This time I wrote all the stories, with character reactions sketched out so I could have the teller react to them, and then went back to fill in the gaps. Hm...tell me if you noticed.

The Greek Adrian quotes is the first couple of lines of the Odyssey, which as good a place as any to start learning ancient Greek. Translation, both bad and good, is from fnon of FFA IRC. Thanks to foxinthestars and LadyHarken for the beta.

While part of the point of this was to show different views of the events of LoI and you're supposed to pick up on the differences and stroke your chin, I did rewrite some parts of the story to just be less dumb. So Leon being way in debt and that's why he doesn't have a sword is not Dracula forgetting or editing or only true from his perspective - that's my attempt to make Leon giving up his sword actually fucking make sense. Assume that after he got back he gave up his lands and title to become a vampire-hunting hobo. Otherwise, everything in LoI is assumed to have happened exactly as in the game.

And speaking of chin stroking, you might wonder what story Alucard would tell, if you managed to drag it out of him. Or what Leon told his kids.


End file.
